The Darkest Hour
by Dream Scrivener
Summary: AU!Sixth Year!PostOOtp Its Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts and he has to make some hard decisions in order to survive. But will these decisions help him or make him weaker? Martial arts, dueling, animagus training, and a proactive Harry.
1. Trials and Tribulations

**Important Authors Note: **This fic had been abandoned as I had no time to write it due to work constraints. But I finally found some time and have finished Chapter 19. Before I post it up I will have to fix some minor errors in the previous chapters to ensure that the plot ahead does not go awry. There will also be some major changes in Chapter 17… a major scene is deleted. Most of the changes are minor but those who have the time please feel free to re read it. I will post the rest of the fic up, including the new chapter day by day.

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (01)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Author notes:** All right people. I promise a rollercoaster of a ride. So hang on and enjoy the ride.

Thanks a lot to my Britpicker Sharon.

I thank my beta Tricia (Mugglemomma) for her excellent help with this chapter.

**OoOoOoO**

**Chapter 01 – Trials and Tribulations**

**OoOoOoO**

Harry lay on his bed, his hands behind his head and his feet crossed at the ankles. He was staring unseeingly at the ceiling and had been in the same position for several hours.

A person could have been forgiven for thinking that he had fallen asleep, but for his eyes. They were full of life. A number of emotions flashed in their emerald green depths, giving away what was going on in his mind.

Anger, sorrow, pain, fear and loneliness. How could any one pair of eyes show so many emotions at once? Yet they did, and because of them you almost felt that he was not stationary, that he was moving and crying and screaming and violently thrashing around, yet he was absolutely still. The emotions and movement were all locked within his mind. It was a perfect chaos in there as one emotion warred with the other. There was no peace for him and there hadn't been for three days since he had come back from Hogwarts. He had neither slept nor eaten, nor moved from his bed.

He was aware of nothing around him. He only felt fatigue. He felt like he was a hundred years old, feeble, tired and defeated. He couldn't even make himself to go down and grab anything to eat. He lived on his emotions alone, and they lived off him.

When he fell asleep, for the little while that he could, he had terrible nightmares. His nightmares from before, hearing his parents screams as they died, and the graveyard where Voldemort had cast the Cruciatus on him after being reborn were recalled by his tortured mind without fail every night. Then there were a few new ones to add to his torment. The most horrifying one was where he saw Sirius falling through the veil in slow motion, into a black, never-ending abyss. The nightmares sometimes ended with him standing before his parents and Sirius who looked at him sadly repeating over and over again, "How could you let us die Harry? It's all your fault. You are supposed to stop him. It's your fault that we died. Why did you let us die? Didn't you love us?"

Those four words were firmly ingrained into his very being - _It's all your fault._

Sometimes Cedric joined them too, accusing Harry of getting him killed. "I told you to take the cup, Harry. But you had to make me grab it too didn't you? If it wasn't for you I would still be alive."

Harry would find himself waking from these dreams screaming and begging for their forgiveness. He never got it.

He still couldn't believe that Sirius was dead...he couldn't be. Harry had heard the whispers behind the veil... Luna had too. Sirius couldn't die so easily, not like that! Not without his name being cleared.

When he wasn't thinking of Sirius, he was thinking of the Prophecy and what it meant. As he remembered the way Voldemort dueled and his sheer power, he couldn't help trembling. How was he supposed to defeat him? He couldn't help feeling fear, fear like he had never known before. He didn't fear dying; rather, he feared dying without killing Voldemort. If he died and Voldemort survived, everything would be over. It would be a nightmare of epic proportions and one that his friends and loved ones would be stuck inside for the rest of their lives.

Sometimes he just felt like escaping from it all. He hadn't asked for any of it.

Time passed and he just lay there falling deeper and deeper into despair. The only time he forced himself to move was when another owl arrived, bearing a message from another one of his friends. He couldn't bear to read their consolatory letters and he just threw them in a large pile on his desk and fell back onto his bed.

On his third day back he got an owl and recognized Moony's handwriting. He realized that he had to answer this one or the Order would come rushing over to check if he was all right, which was attention that he didn't need at the moment.

He grabbed a piece of parchment and scribbled a hurried note.

_I'm fine. _

_Dursley's are treating me ok._

_Harry. _

He tied the short note to the owl's leg and the bird flew away with a small hoot.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry got up sweating and screaming from yet another nightmare. He looked at the bedside clock, which showed the time as 5 am. Knowing that he wouldn't get any more sleep, he got up and stretched. He wasn't able to lie down for a second more. He decided to go take a shower and get something to eat. He was very hungry and couldn't remember when his last meal had been.

He looked around the room and saw that it was a huge mess. Clothes, papers, books, owl droppings, newspapers and a layer of dirt covered everything. Harry scrunched his nose up at the smell. He then very carefully bent his head and sniffed himself. He immediately made a disgusted face and, after stripping quickly, grabbed his towel and headed for the bathroom.

The hot shower was soothing to both his mind and body. He didn't know how long he stood there under the stinging hot water with his mind blissfully blank, just feeling the liquid on his pale skin, but at last he felt the water get cool. He sighed and turned off the taps and after drying himself went back to his bedroom.

Harry looked in the mirror and examined himself detachedly. He was thin and pale and his ribs could be seen clearly. His legs were like sticks, and looked like any halfway strong man could snap them in two without any effort. There was a slight growth of stubble on his face and it made him crack a small smile, but overall he wasn't very pleased with how he looked. He was fifteen, soon to be sixteen, and he looked like a short, skinny, pale loser. He decided that something had to be done about it.

He looked into his wardrobe and groaned. He had somehow managed to lose a bit of weight on his already skinny frame, and all of Dudley's old clothes were now going to be even larger on him. Also, he noticed that most of them were frayed and torn. He decided that enough was enough. He needed some new clothes.

He finally pulled on an extremely baggy pair of jeans which were constantly slipping off him, even with the belt tightened to the last notch. Over that he pulled on a horrendous mustard coloured t-shirt which was far too large for him. He glanced into the mirror again and winced. He almost looked lost under all the excess cloth. Two thin pale arms and his face were all that could be seen of him. A long groan escaped him. _It looked like he was wearing a bleeding tent!_

He peered into the wardrobe again and saw a white t-shirt that he had never worn before. He pulled it out and held it up. His mouth dropped and he immediately realized why he had never worn it.

On the front of the t-shirt there was a large photograph of Dudley as a baby complete with pink bobble hat and the multiple bobbing chins, grinning happily. There was ice cream and chocolate smeared all over his face. Below the photo was printed 'Dinky Duddydums'. Aunt Petunia had been offered to have any picture she liked printed on the t-shirt free of cost, as the store was running a scheme for people that brought more than two t-shirts. She had naturally decided that there was nothing more adorable then her whale of a son.

Harry put the t-shirt back, grinning all the while. He would never wear it, but it could be used to torture Dudley. He quickly pulled on a pair of socks and pushed his feet into his tattered trainers. His toe poked out of a large hole on his right foot. He sighed. Yet another thing to replace!

He walked down to the kitchen and saw the Dursleys for the first time since his return to Number Four Privet Drive. They completely ignored him. Aunt Petunia was silently making breakfast and didn't even look at him and Uncle Vernon's face was buried behind his paper. Dudley, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen.

Harry couldn't care less about the reception and he sat down in a chair and grabbed some toast, eggs and bacon and started hungrily bolting down his food. Halfway through, he heard the scrape of a chair as his Uncle Vernon got up. He quickly walked over to his wife and gave her a peck on the cheek and after collecting his car keys, quickly walked out of the house. Harry heard the car reversing a minute later, signaling that his Uncle had left for work.

He poured himself a cup of tea and grabbed another piece of toast and a few more rashers of bacon. Normally he wouldn't be able to eat this much, but he forced himself to eat it, reminding himself that he needed to gain some weight.

He was quietly eating when suddenly Aunt Petunia cleared her throat, making him jump. He looked at her and saw a look of irritation and distaste on her face. "I am going out for a bit of shopping and I don't want you to touch or wreck anything while I'm gone."

Harry sighed and nodded. '_Yeah,_ _like I take an axe and start chopping the furniture into bits when I'm left alone!' _

"Dudley might come back while I am gone, so let him inside. And don't you dare try and threaten him with any of your unnaturalness."

Harry raised his eyebrow at this, but didn't comment.

"Oh, and I wont be able to make it back in time for lunch. There is a roast in the oven. You just have to set the timer and take it out on time."

Harry nodded. "Where _is_ Dudley?" he asked, wondering why Dudley had not come down for breakfast.

"He spent last night at the Polkises house."

"Hmm... well, ok, I was wondering what happened to make him skip breakfast," Harry muttered.

Petunia Dursley chose to ignore the remark and walked out of the room. Harry heard the door close a minute later.

He looked around, trying to decide what to do, and he picked up the paper and started scanning the headlines. There was nothing in the headlines about any kind of unexplained attacks, and this both unnerved and relieved Harry. He wondered what exactly Voldemort was up to.

He idly flipped through the paper until he came across an advertisement that caught his interest. It was a small ad giving details about martial arts classes. The telephone number of the instructor was given at the bottom. Harry's mind raced as he thought about the advantages of learning self defense.

Harry wondered whether it was any use to learn physical combat. Ron would make a face and ask typically, "Why do you want to punch him when you can hex him, Harry?" Harry decided that at the least the idea was worth thinking about, and it wouldn't be any harm if he talked to the instructor.

He drank another cup of tea and got up and walked to the phone in the living room. He wondered whether he should use it, as he was under strict orders from the Dursleys never to touch anything in the house. He figured that what they didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

He picked the receiver up and glancing at the newspaper advertisement, quickly dialed the number. A pleasant, masculine voice answered on the second ring. "Hello."

"Um... hello, I'm phoning about this ad in today's paper. The one for learning martial arts," Harry said nervously.

"Yes, but it is not martial arts. We only teach Aikido and Taekwondo. Martial arts is a rather big field, you know," the man said with a pleasant laugh.

Harry looked at the advertisement again and saw that this fact was mentioned there. "Uh… sorry, my mistake. I would be interested in learning one of these martial arts that you teach. Could you answer a few questions for me, though?"

"Yes, of course, but it would be better if you come to meet me so we can discuss this properly. It would be better to explain things in person rather than over the phone. And then you could ask me whatever questions that you like."

"Er... all right… what time would be convenient for you?" Harry inquired.

"I'm free after three. So should we say a quarter past three?" the man asked after a slight pause.

"That's fine. See you then," Harry replied.

Suddenly, Harry realized that he had forgotten to ask the man's name, which was a common courtesy while talking on the phone. _'I'm sure not acting like I was raised in __a Muggle household,'_ Harry thought irritatedly.

"Er... you must think me awfully rude. I haven't introduced myself. My name is Harry Potter."

There was a short bark of laughter on the other end. "Roger Greene," came the reply. "And don't worry about it."

"Ok, see you then," Harry said and replaced the receiver.

Harry looked at the clock and saw that it was 10 am. He realized that he had plenty of time to kill and so he decided to go and give his room a much needed cleaning. He headed upstairs and walked into his bedroom.

Looking around his filthy room, he ran his hands through his hair and wondered where to begin. He decided to start with the dirty clothes. He picked up all the clothes that were strewn around the back of the chair and the floor and carried them to the laundry basket downstairs.

He then walked back and started gathering his books and piling them neatly in his trunk. Next, he picked up all the leftover pieces of Owl treats that had fallen from Hedwig's cage and bits of rubbish lying around and chucked them into the bin. He looked distastefully at the owl droppings and wished he could use magic to clean them up. 'Oh well, I guess we'll have to do it the manual way,' he thought reluctantly. Fifteen minutes later his room looked a lot tidier.

Harry's eye then fell on the mail that he had received over the past few days and with a sigh, he decided that he might as well read them.

He picked up a letter with Ron's handwriting and opening it, began to read it.

_Harry,_

_Hang in there mate. I know that the Muggles are horrible, but it will only be for a few more days. Mum has already started pestering Dumbledore to allow you to come and visit_. _I think that it won't be too long before you are here with us. We are going to shift to Headquarters in a couple of days and Hermione will be joining us. _

_I promise you that I will tell you everything I find out about You-Know-Who's activities. There have been no Order meetings so far and no news on his activities. Things are looking awfully quiet, which is good. The Prophet has sure changed its tune now. Now suddenly they are saying how you and Dumbledore had been right all along, and how you battled all odds to make the truth known. _

_Hope the Muggles are treating you OK. If they aren't, just let me know and I'll be there to break you out_, _consequences be damned!_

_I will write again soon._

_Take care,_

_Ron._

Harry smiled at the letter. It was typically Ron.

He picked up Hermione's letter next and quickly opened it.

_Harry,_

_How are you doing? _

_Look_, _Harry_, _I know that you aren't feeling great right now. I can understand what you are going through. I loved Sirius as well. I still can't believe he is gone_, _and I expect that if I am feeling so terrible_, _you are feeling ten times worse. But remember that we are there to help you and we love you very much. We are your friends, Harry. It is very difficult to see you hurting like this. Please don't push us away._

_Look, I don't want to push you right now, but I do want you to realize that you are not alone on all this._

_Take care of yourself. _

_Love_, _Hermione. _

Harry looked at the third letter and found the writing to be unfamiliar to him. He opened it curiously, wondering who had sent it.

_Hello_, _Harry,_

_How are you? (Arrghhhh! Stupid question_, _ignore it)_

_Harry, I won't tell you not to feel sad. I know you can't help it. I also know that it's no use to tell you to share your feelings with us. I know that you'll only do that when you are ready. _

_I just want to let you know that it's OK to feel sad. Just don't blame yourself for it. (Don't deny it; I know you are.)_

_Whenever you want to talk and you feel ready, know that I will be there for you. I only hope that you consider me as important enough to share your feelings with. _

_Harry, bottling up all your feelings is never a good thing. It will just grow inside of you until you explode. You knew Sirius very well and you know that he would be very unhappy to see you so sad. Try and be happy for his sake_, _and try and remember that he came there that day because he loved you. You thinking that you forced him to come is a dishonor to his memory._

_OK_,_ on to other topics. I am getting along very well with Dean and he is in constant touch with me through Floo. We manage to talk everyday. Of course_, _you realize that my git of a brother is acting hysterically about it. Honestly_, _that boy just cannot grow up. I am going to go over to meet Dean in a day or two. _

_I guess I'll see you soon. The way Mum is after Dumbledore_, _it will only be a matter of days before she convinces him to send you here._

_Take care of yourself. _

_Love_, _Ginny. _

Harry held Ginny's letter for a bit as he pondered over her words. She had changed. He remembered her as the skinny, shy little girl she had been when he met her, and then she had suddenly stood up to him last year when he was in the middle of one of his moods, something not even Ron and Hermione dared to do. He realized that he had missed a lot of changes in her. He shook his head at that and decided that he would need to get to know her all over again.

Harry put away his letters and looked around, satisfied with his clean room. He walked downstairs, deciding to get rid of his dirty laundry and set the timer on for the roast. He had just put his washing into the dryer when the doorbell chimed.

Harry cautiously went to answer it, drawing his wand out. Ever since the happenings in the Department of Mysteries, Harry had taken an approach that even Moody would have called paranoid. He was never without his wand, even going to the extent of sleeping with it and taking it with him to the loo. He also reacted to the smallest of sounds, jumping every time someone closed a door or dropped an object. He realized that his nerves weren't what they used to be.

He peered out of the keyhole and breathed with relief when he saw Dudley, who impatiently rang the bell again. Harry reached for the handle to open the door as he heard the doorbell chime yet again, and this time it continued ringing until he opened the door.

"What's the matter, freak? Don't you know that you are supposed to open the door when the bell ri…" He stopped abruptly when he noticed Harry twirling his wand around with a particularly dangerous glint in his eyes.

"What was that, Big D?" Harry asked quietly.

"N-n-nothing. Point that thing away from me. I- I'll tell Dad you were threatening me with it and he'll chuck you out of the House," Dudley said quickly, trying to sound intimidating but ending up just sounding terrified. "Can't you hear the doorbell ringing?" he said a bit more angrily, when he realized that Harry wasn't going to hex him.

Harry looked at him coldly and replaced his wand. "Oh, I'm so sorry, your_ Majesty_. I hope I didn't keep you waiting when you obviously have so many important things to do," Harry said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Dudley went red in the face and considered attacking Harry as soon as he saw that his wand was tucked away in his sleeve. Harry must have noticed, because the next moment he twirled around and his wand slipped into his hand. He waved it lazily.

Dudley quickly moved back, his eyes widening. He looked at Harry shrewdly for a moment before he said. "Y-y-you c-can't use your f-f-freakiness here. T-they... they'll expel you from your freakish school," Dudley said bravely, a nasty smirk appearing on his face.

Harry looked at him for a moment and smiled. To Dudley, it looked like the smile a cat gives the canary right before dinner.

"You know, Dudley, last summer I did use magic and they didn't expel me. Secondly, the rule only applies until I have passed my fifth year exams... _which I have_," Harry said making it up as he went along. He knew he was talking rubbish, of course, but he also knew that Dudley had no way of knowing that.

"Thirdly, you remember the toffee you had two years ago that made your tongue four feet long? Well, the people who invented that have opened a shop that sells those kinds of things, and I am a partner of theirs. Did I mention that they are fully grown wizards? Oh, yeah, well they have been inventing a lot and have sent me a box of their pranks to try on…_somebody_," He said the last with a nasty smirk on his face glancing at Dudley.

Dudley had gone a sick green shade.

"So, as I was saying…" Harry said, giving Dudley a cold smile, "You really don't want to mess with me, do you?"

Dudley looked like he was thinking of opening the door and rushing out, but instead he quickly walked towards the living room, his hands twitching as if he wanted to cup his large bottom.

As he was about to enter the living room, Harry called out. "Oh, and Dudley, your mum told me to make lunch. It's in the kitchen. I made it _especially_ for you."

Dudley turned around and swallowed nervously, and Harry could almost see the cogs working slowly in his brain.

"Uh... I-I t-think I'll skip lunch today," Dudley stammered fearfully. "I'm... uh not that hungry, come to t-t-think of it." Then he quickly turned around and waddled out of the room as fast as he could go, his hands trying desperately to cover his overly large bottom.

Harry staggered into the kitchen with his fist stuffed into his mouth and collapsed into a chair, laughing until tears came into his eyes. Just then, the timer went off and Harry went and took the roast out of the oven.

He glanced at the clock and saw that it was 12.30 pm. The smell of the roast was making him hungry again and so he sat down at the table and began to eat. He could feel Dudley taking several peeks into the room as the smell of the delicious roast was making him really hungry. Harry totally ignored him.

For once in his life, fear overruled hunger and Dudley did not eat any lunch that day.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry was pleasantly surprised to find that the address of the martial arts building was just a few streets away and he quickly walked the distance and arrived five minutes early. He had left a little early as he no longer had a wristwatch and thus had no way to tell the time. He figured that he would rather get there early than late.

The place was a small block of flats and the whole ground floor was converted into the training centre. There was a large sign hanging outside saying 'Roger Green – Aikido and Taekwondo Dojo.'

Harry pushed the door at the entrance open and stepped into a corridor. To the right, there was a small door that said '_Office'_. To the left, there were a set of large oak doors painted a vivid scarlet and ahead there was a small set of doors labeled '_Changing rooms.'_

Harry walked up to the door of the office and knocked.

"Come in," said a voice from within.

Harry pushed the door open and entered. The office was small and didn't have much furniture, only a small desk and a filing cabinet and a couple of plain straight back wood chairs. The walls were covered by various awards and certificates showing that Roger Green was certified to teach the martial arts of Aikido and Taekwondo. Also, various pictures of a man receiving his various belts were framed and hung on the walls.

The same man was sitting behind the desk and looked up at Harry with a smile. He was in his late thirties to early forties and was in prime condition. He wasn't overly muscular but was whipcord lean and toned and there wasn't a hint of flab on his body. His hair was still black with a few tints of grey showing here and there. He had a very roughly chiseled face and a trim French beard. His eyes were a dark navy blue so that they almost looked black in the dim light coming from the small window.

"Hello, I'm Roger Greene," the man said rising up and extending his hand.

Harry grasped the hand and shook it. "Harry Potter," he said.

"Please have a seat, Harry," Roger said, smiling.

Harry sat down and took a deep breath. When he looked up, he saw Roger examining him with a strange look. When he saw Harry looking at him, a shutter fell across his face and he looked back at him with a perfectly neutral expression. Harry was unnerved by it but he didn't show it.

"So, Harry, why do you want to learn martial arts?" Roger asked.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Harry asked, surprised.

Roger was silent for a minute, observing him, before he replied. "Harry, remember one thing, never think of anything as being obvious. Always leave a little room for doubt, because doubt in turn leaves room for precautions. Jumping to conclusions is the very worst habit to have."

Harry suddenly realized how right Roger was. If he had left a little room for doubt and taken more precautions, Sirius may well have been alive. He remembered Hermione's warning that it might have been a trap, and pain and regret flashed across his face.

"Thank you, I will remember that. It is sound advice," Harry said softly. "As to your question, I want to learn martial arts so I can defend myself."

"Harry, what school do you go to?" Roger asked suddenly.

Harry hesitated, wondering how to reply.

Roger took his hesitation for something else and softly asked. "Is it true then, that you attend St Brutus', Harry?"

Harry gaped at him, his jaw falling down a good three inches with shock. He got over this very quickly though and cold anger replaced the shock.

"Mr. Greene, by your expression I can tell that you have made up your mind about me and yet you were the one who told me a minute ago to always leave a little room for doubt. As to your question, I do not attend St. Brutus' and never have. That rumor was started by my Aunt and Uncle who hate me. I have no other relatives except them, as my parents died when I was a year old. They had to take me in and they have always resented me for it. If you do not still believe me you can take a good look at my clothes and me. Also, if you have ever had the pleasure of meeting my cousin you will be very certain that he is the person belonging in St. Brutus', _not me_."

Harry took a deep breath and composed himself, thinking of how to frame his next few words.

"Now, as to what school I attend… I…I cannot tell you that. I have my reasons that I cannot possibly share with you, even if I wanted to. If this makes you hesitant to teach me, then so be it."

Roger stared back at Harry for a moment and then nodded. "Ok, Harry, I respect that. Please forgive my behavior. I have to make sure who I teach, as martial arts can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. I cannot teach everybody who wants to learn. Some people simply want to learn because they want to take revenge or because it will make them stronger than the average person. "

"I understand," Harry said wearily. "It was a simple misunderstanding. By now I'm used to it, really. Look, I just want to learn to help defend myself and get myself in some sort of shape, alright?"

"May I ask you a question, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Of course you may. I may not be able to answer all your questions, but those I can, I will. I could lie about those things that I don't want to talk about, but I would prefer that we were just honest with each other."

"Why do you want to learn to defend yourself? I see from your expression that you are very determined. Also, I can see great anger within you. Why does a teenager like you possibly want to learn martial arts? I hope it is not to use on your family, as you have made it quite clear that you don't care for them very much."

Harry looked at him for a moment and shook his head. "No, I don't want to harm my relatives."

Roger noticed that Harry used the term 'Relatives' and not 'Family'.

"I suppose I have reason to want to hurt them, but that would make me just like them. Besides, there are quicker and easier ways to do it than learning Martial arts. I know what sort of responsibilities come with power, and also how corrupting it can be. I know better than anyone how misused power can destroy people's lives and I don't think I want to ever go down that road. I simply want to learn to protect myself and those that I love."

Roger looked at Harry carefully, wondering how a fifteen year old boy learnt to talk like that. Wondering what the eyes had seen to appear so knowing.

"Ok, Harry," he finally replied. "Now lets move on to what you want to learn. Aikido or Taekwondo?"

"Err… I don't really know anything about either form of fighting," Harry replied truthfully.

"Ok, fair enough. Aikido is a form of martial arts that uses the force of your opponent's body to defeat him. It basically is a more no-contact form of self defense, though it is very effective. To master Aikido you need to have copious amounts of will power, concentration, balance and speed."

He paused and looked at Harry. "In fact, I would say that it would be perfect for you. You are light, probably fast, and you seem quite the determined young lad."

Harry smiled. "Thank you."

"Taekwondo, on the other hand, is completely opposite. It is sheer physical force and an offensive kind of martial arts. It will teach you the correct way to defend yourself by causing harm to your opponent," Roger continued.

Harry thought for a moment and pondered. Both of them had their pros and cons and Harry was tempted by both.

"Is it possible…" Harry hesitated.

"Yes?" Roger asked curiously.

"Is it possible to learn them both at once?" Harry asked quickly.

Roger stared at him and was silent for a while as he thought. Finally he replied, "Everything is possible, Harry, but I would not advise it. To do both you would need to put in a lot of time and it will take a tremendous amount of effort. You will have to learn the rules of two totally different sciences at once and you will be most probably confused and mix up the rules of them both, which is never the best idea."

Harry nodded. "I would still like to try. I will, on my part, do whatever you ask of me and try as hard as possible."

Roger nodded. "Alright, Harry. But do it this way: start off with learning Aikido, and after a couple of weeks we will start you off with Taekwondo if you are doing well. That way there will be less chance of confusion and you will realize the effort needed."

Harry nodded and smiled.

"Ok, now to another thing. Learning Aikido and Taekwondo is very stressful physically and you need to have enough strength and stamina or else you will collapse. You will need to eat more. Right now you are very frail. Secondly, you need your rest and sleep to have a fresh mind. Only then can you learn. By the dark circles under your eyes, I see that you don't sleep much."

Harry sighed. "Believe me, I try. But I have nightmares that just _do not_ allow me to sleep. Nothing works, absolutely nothing!" Harry exclaimed frustratedly.

Roger looked thoughtful. "You may try one thing. Every night before you go to bed try and clear your mind."

Harry groaned and thought about all the times he had tried that during last year when Snape was teaching him Occlumency. "I have tried that," Harry said finally. "It doesn't work. I have a lot on my mind so it's not that easy to just clear it."

"Hmm…" Roger said. "Try one thing. Sit down on your bed and concentrate on a single object in front of you. Tune everything out but that object. For the fifteen minutes that you do this exercise, nothing else exists except that object. You will be able to do this exercise without looking at the object after a few weeks."

Harry nodded. "Thank you. You cannot imagine how grateful I am for your help and advice."

"Don't mention it Harry. Since you have come to learn from me, your well-being is now my responsibility. Ok, now we just have to fill in a couple of forms and you'll be all set."

Harry walked out from the building twenty minutes later and there was a bounce in his step. Things were finally looking up. He was finally doing _something_.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry sat at his desk a couple of hours later, writing a letter to Dumbledore. Several pieces of crumpled parchment were lying around him as evidence of his frustration at not getting the letter right. He was too emotional and he sounded as if he was raving in the letters, which was not an impression he wanted to make when he wanted someone of Dumbledore's caliber to trust him and listen to him.

Finally he got it right – or in other words, as close to right as he could manage. He knew he could do no better and he silently read his final attempt.

_Professor Dumbledore,_

_First, let me say how sorry I am at my inexcusable behavior in your office that day. I had no right to say some of the things I said and destroy your possessions like that. I did a terrible thing that day that I am not proud of – which is blaming you for Sirius' death. You have always told us not to take the easy way out. I am sorry to say that I did exactly that. By blaming you I could throw the fault on your shoulders and ease my conscience. But I know now and maybe even then, in my heart of hearts, that I, and only I, am to blame for Sirius' death._

_While I do not blame you for Sirius dying, I do blame you for the way you treated him. You allowed him to rot in that house of his and made him feel useless. That fact was driven in time and again when Snape told him that he sat at home while the others took all the risk. I blame you for killing Sirius' spirit. _

_I also do not apologize for you keeping me in the dark the entire year. You kept such a big thing hidden from me all my life. You knew what I had to face and yet you never prepared me. Thinking about it now_, _it is almost laughable when I realize that when I faced Voldemort for the first time in my fourth year I only knew the disarming curse. You could have trained me. You always knew he was coming back. How could you have let me be in a position like that?_

_With Sirius' death I am again left totally alone. It seems that all those unfortunate enough to be related to me or those who make the mistake to care for me are fated to die. I think this is hardly going to stop now that Voldemort is back. _

_So far in my life I have very little control over anything. Everything was either decided for me by others or by my circumstances. I refuse to live like this any longer._

_Your attitude of last year really hurt me. You didn't even speak to me most of the time. It was as if you just didn't care. I thought you had finally realized that I was more trouble than I was worth and you had decided to wash your hands off me. For a moment I even believed that you blamed me for the return of Voldemort._

_I suppose this is enough of dwelling on the past. It's a waste of time anyway. It's not like any of it can ever be changed. I'll just get to what I really need to say._

_Professor_, _I need to be better prepared. Better trained. I need to be able to protect myself and my friends. I cannot bear to think of another person dying because of me. _

_I want you to try and get me somebody to teach me Occlumency and advanced defensive and offensive magic. I also will need a lift of the ban on using magic during this summer. If for this you have to twist Fudges arm to the point of breaking it, do it._

_I also want to go to Diagon alley and London for a bit of shopping for the summer. If you could arrange somebody to escort me I would be very grateful. If not, I'll just go alone anyway._

_Best regards,_

_Harry Potter. _

He finished reading the letter and called Hedwig over to him. She hooted happily, glad to be able to make another delivery. She had been cooped up in the room far too long for her liking.

Harry quickly tied the letter to Hedwig's extended leg and, stroking her feathers lovingly, said, "Can you take that to Dumbledore, girl? Be as quick as you can."

Hedwig hooted and immediately flew off into the night.

Harry watched until she was no longer visible then he settled back and began his meditation exercise. Harry was amazed at how efficient Roger's method was. He found it quite simple to concentrate like that. He had chosen his doorknob as the object to concentrate on and he was able to push the distractions away with a little effort. Harry had cleared his mind. He wondered why that git Snape didn't teach him something like this.

Harry finished his meditation and soon drifted off to sleep.

**OoOoOoO**

Dumbledore sat in his office reading some papers and he had a troubled look on his face. Things were not going well. Voldemort's recruiting was on the rise and he was rapidly building his ranks again. Fudge had refused to take the Dementors off Azkaban and Dumbledore knew that it was only a matter of time before Voldemort broke into Azkaban and rescued his Inner Circle.

He sighed. Fudge was being increasingly stubborn. Ever since the announcement was made in the Daily Prophet that Voldemort had returned, he was more concerned about rebuilding his image rather than re-enforcing his numbers and taking the correct precautions.

Dumbledore knew that it could not go on like this. It was a distasteful job, but Fudge had to be removed. The Wizengamot had been called for an urgent meeting tomorrow to address the issue. Dumbledore knew that the meeting had to be called in secret as Fudge would otherwise create huge problems.

He also knew that the meeting tomorrow was vital and he had to move all his pieces in place and be absolutely ready.

He looked up as he saw a white owl fly in through the window and smiled.

"Hello, Hedwig," Dumbledore said with a small smile as he stroked her feathers. He deftly removed the letter from her leg and looked down into her eyes.

"Thank you. Do you need an answer to this?"

Hedwig hooted in the negative. And after a few seconds where she stopped to have a gulp of water, she flew off into the night.

Dumbledore opened the letter quickly, curious as to why Harry had written to him. He had planned to write to Harry himself. He had to discuss many plans that he had for the summer with him.

He began to read the letter and as he read, his face sagged. He finished the letter and found that tears had filled his eyes and he wiped them away gruffly.

Fawkes chirped in concern from his perch, disturbed to find his master so sad. He was still weak, as it had just been a couple of days since he had swallowed the killing curse to save his master. He was still featherless but he had grown a bit since then.

Dumbledore looked up at Fawkes, his face sagging with regret and fatigue.

"My mistakes are coming back to haunt me, old friend," Dumbledore said softly. "I have failed him in so many ways that I am afraid that I might have lost his trust for good."

Fawkes sang softly to Dumbledore, trying to cheer him up, but tonight even his song couldn't help his companion very much.

**OoOoOoO**

Cornelius Fudge walked towards Courtroom nine angrily. He was part outraged and part scared. He wondered why Dumbledore had called the meeting without informing him. The reasons he eventually came up with left him with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew that he would have to fight and he intended to. He realized that his best chance would be to go in and get the meeting dismissed immediately, claiming it illegal since he, as the Minister of Magic, had not been informed of it.

He pushed the door open, strode into the room and looked around at the packed auditorium. His eyes traveled over the members of the Wizengamot and the other attendees and his mind quickly went over who would and would not support him and how he could get this over quickly and painlessly, for himself, that is. Fudge was a born politician and he was confident of his ability to win here today.

His eyes finally reached to where Dumbledore was seated and they hardened.

"What is the meaning of this, Dumbledore? How dare you call a meeting without informing me? I am the Minister for Magic and I could have you arrested for treason against the Ministry," Fudge said angrily.

"Sit down, Cornelius," Dumbledore said quietly.

"No, I will not sit down, Dumbledore. Now you listen to me…" Whatever he was about to say was cut off abruptly as Dumbledore stiffened with anger.

"SIT DOWN, CORNELIUS," Dumbledore said angrily, his voice rising in pitch.

Fudge stepped back, seeing the expression on Dumbledore's face.

His eyes were cold chips of ice and it was the first time he had seen Dumbledore so angry. It was also the first time he had ever heard Dumbledore speak in such a tone. His whole body was alight with a powerful aura as the magic literally radiated from him.

Fudge gulped and hurriedly took his seat.

"I have called this meeting because we have to urgently discuss what we have to do to protect this country from Voldemort, because I think that we are not doing nearly enough to prepare ourselves against him. I have called this meeting because I think that we have had enough precious time wasted because of your incompetence. And I have also called this meeting because I believe that you are not the right man to lead this country," Dumbledore bit out, his anger fading slowly, to be replaced by disappointment.

"B-b-but you have no authority to do this. Y-y-you cannot do this," Cornelius squeaked, looking around desperately for someone to back him up. He found no one, as nobody was willing to try Dumbledore's patience when he was in this mood.

"You are wrong, Cornelius. There is a precedent to have a leader of the country removed from his post if his actions are damaging to the country," Dumbledore said softly.

"B-but that's p-preposterous," Fudge stammered.

"It is the _law_, Cornelius. Now you will have your say, but this meeting will go on," Dumbledore said sternly.

Fudge thought furiously about his situation. Things were worse than he thought, but he still had a chance. A lot of the members of the Wizengamot were his supporters, and it was a good chance that he would walk out of this unharmed. Then he would have that pesky old man thrown in jail once and for all.

"Let's begin," Dumbledore said. "First, I want to address the actions of one Dolores Jane Umbridge who you made Hogwarts High Inquisitor last year and later, Headmistress."

"I don't see what that has to do with me, Dumbledore. Or my capability as Minister," Fudge said testily.

"You hired her for the position and since the authority she had at Hogwarts was your doing, _it is_ your responsibility," Dumbledore said coldly.

Fudge gulped.

"Let the trial of Dolores Jane Umbridge commence then," Madam Bones said loudly.

The doors opened and Dolores Umbridge was brought in, escorted by two Aurors. She had been released from St. Mungo's barely a week ago and was looking around, scared. Her round face had gone an ugly shade of purple. "Minister, what is the meaning of this?" she squeaked in her high girly voice.

Fudge looked at her reassuringly. "Don't worry, Dolores, let us see what cock-and-bull story Dumbledore has come up with this time," Fudge sneered. Umbridge looked a little less panicked as she quickly ran over what Dumbledore could possibly prove against her in her mind.

She was lead to the chair and was sworn in. "Dolores Jane Umbridge, you have been charged with using a blood quill for detentions on students in Hogwarts, threatening to use the Cruciatus curse on Harry Potter, and sending Dementors to attack him during the summer vacations. These are very serious charges. How do you plead?" Madam Bones asked sternly.

"It's all untrue. Lies by that attention seeking Potter boy and those looking to discredit me," Umbridge shrieked.

"We shall see. Arthur, begin your questioning," Madam Bones said, nodding at Mr. Weasley.

Arthur Weasley got up and walked to the centre of the room and turned to look at the jury. "I call to the stand, Hermione Jane Granger," Arthur announced in his magnified voice.

The doors opened and a nervous looking Hermione walked in the room and took the stand. Arthur quickly swore her in and began.

"Miss Granger, is it true that Dolores Umbridge was about to use the Cruciatus curse on Harry Potter?"

"Yes, it is true. We were captured by the members of Umbridge's Inquisitional Squad while we were trying to use the floo in her office," Hermione said calmly and clearly, showing none of the nervousness that she felt. She knew that she needed to come across as confident if her testimony were to hold any value.

"What happened then, Miss Granger?" Arthur asked.

"Well, she asked Harry who he was trying to contact, she believed it to be Professor Dumbledore. He refused to tell her anything. She then sent Draco Malfoy to fetch Professor Snape."

"And what happened when Professor Snape arrived?" Mr. Weasley asked. He could feel that Hermione was nervous and he maintained eye contact with her and gently led her through her answers.

"Professor Snape came and Umbridge asked him for a bottle of Veritaserum to use to interrogate Harry," Hermione went on.

There were loud gasps at this. It was illegal to use Veritaserum to interrogate suspects without Ministry approval, let alone students at Hogwarts!

"Professor Snape told her that he had given her a bottle earlier to interrogate Harry with, and he didn't have any more. He then said that three drops should have been enough to question Harry with and she should have plenty left over." At this she gave Umbridge a look of deep loathing.

"Go on, Miss Granger," Arthur said encouragingly.

"Well she then sent Professor Snape away. After he left, she turned to Harry and threatened to use the Cruciatus curse on him if he didn't tell him what she wanted to know. Harry refused her point blank. I told her that it was wrong of her to use the curse, especially for a person in her position, but she ignored me," Hermione stopped at this point and shuddered. She looked up and saw Mr. Weasley give her an encouraging look. She took a deep breath and went on.

"I… I saw that she was about to use it and I again pleaded with her to stop as it was illegal to use it on anybody. She ignored me. At this point I had no choice but to make up a story to stop her. I told her that we had been trying to contact Professor Dumbledore to inform him about 'the weapon' being ready and she immediately wanted to see this weapon. We managed to fool her into following us into the Forbidden Forest. In the forest we met the Centaurs, who were already upset with Firenze, our Professor for Divination, for joining the Hogwarts staff, and I had seen them react violently to Hagrid too. Umbridge insulted them and they attacked her and we managed to escape."

"So you purposely led her into the Forbidden Forest knowing that it was dangerous?" Fudge sneered.

"What would you have had me do, Minister? Allow her to use the Cruciatus curse on a student?" Hermione asked scathingly.

"Miss Granger, I believe she only threatened to use it. She didn't actually use it. Now, you, on the other hand, led her into the forest so that she would be attacked and possibly killed," Fudge said coldly.

"Actually _I_ didn't do anything. She was the one who called the centaurs 'mindless beasts'," Hermione said in a self satisfied tone. "If she wants to insult somebody then she alone is responsible for the consequences."

Fudge glared at her.

"Thank you, Miss Granger. Now what can you tell us about Harry's detentions with Dolores Umbridge?" Arthur said, giving her a small grin.

"Well, Harry was given detention because he argued with her that V-Vo-Voldemort was back," she said struggling to say the Dark Lords name. "Harry did numerous detentions with her for this reason. At first, he never told us what she made him do. Then one day our friend Ron… Ronald Weasley," she said looking at the jury to explain. "Well, Ron saw Harry's exposed hand. It was horrible. His hand was cut open and 'I will not tell lies' was engraved into it. We found that she was using a blood quill to make Harry write lines," Hermione said disgustedly.

There was a flood of murmuring throughout the room at this, and Fudge knew that he had to act soon to try and salvage the situation.

"All of this is a very good tale, Miss Granger, but what I want to know is the location of the weapon that Dumbledore was developing to use against the Ministry," Fudge said quickly, an eager gleam in his eyes.

Hermione looked at Fudge in contempt. "There _was_ no weapon, Minister. I made it up to help us escape her clutches. I thought I had made that very clear."

There was a smattering of laughter at this and Fudge seethed in his seat.

"Please continue, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said with a small smile directed at her.

"Well, Harry's detentions continued and the problem got worse until Harry got a bad scar on his hand. 'I will not tell lies' is now permanently engraved on the back of his hand."

"Miss Granger, you said that this went on for quite a while. Why didn't Harry go to his Head of House or the Headmaster about this matter?" Arthur asked angrily.

"Well, he was scared," Hermione said hesitantly.

"Scared? Why was he scared?" Arthur asked, puzzled.

"Well, we all saw how those Educational Decrees were being issued. Harry was scared that if he went to Professor McGonagall, Umbridge would find a way to fire her. He felt that if he could prevent that by bearing a little pain he would gladly do a hundred detentions like that. He also made us promise not to tell anybody about it," Hermione said, tears flowing down from her eyes.

There was a wave of disgust at these words and Professor McGonagall, who was sitting in the stands, wiped away the hasty tears from her eyes and angrily glared at Umbridge.

Umbridge by now had got a highly terrified look on her face and she glanced at Fudge pleadingly. Fudge ignored her completely. He knew now, with a sickening certainty that if he were to save his skin he had to distance himself from her.

Arthur Weasley paused and took a deep breath before he asked. "Did Dolores Umbridge say anything else?"

Hermione nodded. "She admitted that it had been her that had sent the Dementors to attack Harry during the summer."

There was a cry of outrage as everybody remembered how Harry Potter had been charged for _that_ incident.

"Minister," Umbridge squeaked in panic. "Minister, help me. This is all lies."

Fudge looked at her with emotionless eyes. "How could you do this, Dolores? I trusted you, and you betrayed my trust."

Umbridge looked at him in astonishment, her toady eyes popping out even more. "Y-you can't let me take the blame for this. If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me," she screamed at Fudge.

"Silence," Fudge thundered angrily. "I have nothing to do with you and I certainly am not going to help a criminal with _anything_. You have betrayed my trust and for that you shall pay."

"Very good, Cornelius. We will get back to how much you know and didn't know later on. For now let's get her trial over. Get on with it, Arthur," Dumbledore said wearily.

"I shall, at this point, ask Miss Granger to provide a memory of the events so that we may be able to see them in a Pensieve and decide upon its authenticity."

Hermione was quickly coached by Mr. Weasley about how to remove the relevant memories and soon a Pensieve was brimming with the memories she had given testimony about. Arthur tapped the Pensieve twice and the memories rose up like a mist and began playing for the Wizengamot to watch. By the end of fifteen minutes Hermione's testimony had been fully validated and almost everybody was shooting Umbridge disgusted looks.

That is all I have for this witness. But I wish to call the other witnesses who were present there that day to further confirm Miss Granger's story."

"Very well, Arthur. Call your witnesses. Miss Granger, you are excused and we thank you for your testimony," Madam Bones said.

Hermione nodded and after quickly bowing to the jury, exited the stand and unsteadily walked out of the courtroom. She had been scared stiff on the stand and didn't know how she had got through it. She was glad to get away.

Arthur Weasley then quickly called Professor Snape, who quickly confirmed Hermione's story and said that he had given Umbridge a vial of Veritaserum. She had wanted it to question Harry with. He mentioned that the bottle of Veritaserum was fake but the thought that Umbridge used it thinking that it was real was more than enough.

Mr. Weasley then quickly called Neville, Ron and Ginny, each of whom confirmed what Hermione had said was true. They each gave their memories to be viewed in the Pensieve and it all implicated Umbridge fully. The case against her was now nearly overwhelming. Lastly, he called Lee Jordan who further confirmed that he had served detention with Umbridge as well, and she had made him use the blood quill too.

"I have no more witnesses, nor do I think that there is any need for them. The case is quite clear," said Arthur Weasley turning to face the jury.

"Indeed, Arthur," Madam Bones said in a steely voice. She turned to Umbridge and eyed her coldly. "Your actions are beneath contempt, Miss. Umbridge. There are a lot of witnesses here who have confirmed some very disturbing charges. The fact that makes it all the more disturbing is that all this was happening to our children, who we send to Hogwarts thinking that they were absolutely safe. Your actions are absolutely unforgivable and I for one want to see you locked away for a long, long time."

Umbridge started to rise out of the chair, her eyes darting around as if looking for a way to escape. Before she could move anymore though, Dumbledore flicked his wand lightly and the manacles on her chair snapped up and chained her to the chair.

"Do you have anything more to say before we pass our judgment?" Madam Bones asked.

Umbridge looked at the floor unable to face the jury and shook her head. The manacles had been the last straw and had totally cowed her.

"All right, all those in favor of the guilty verdict," Madam Bones announced.

There wasn't a single person that didn't raise their hands. Even Fudge quickly raised his hand after he saw that the verdict was going to be guilty. The members of the Wizengamot noticed his hesitation, though.

The judges had a quick conversation and Madam Bones banged the gavel to ensure quiet. "The votes are counted and are unanimous. Miss Umbridge, you are charged with the attempted murder of Harry James Potter and trying to use an Unforgivable curse against him. Also you are charged with using Dark magic to abuse Hogwarts students and illegally trying to obtain and use Veritaserum to interrogate Harry James Potter, going to the extent of using a dosage that could have proved lethal to him. The fact that the Veritaserum was fake does not matter as you used it thinking it was real. For this we sentence you to ten years in Azkaban. Take her away."

The Aurors dragged a whimpering Umbridge out of the courtroom.

Dumbledore waved his hands for quiet and said, "Cornelius, this is just one instance of how your actions have caused harm the past year."

"B-but I had nothing to do with it. I had no idea of her actions," Fudge said, turning around and looking at the audience pleadingly.

"But it _was_ your decision to send her to Hogwarts. In fact, you created a new law so that you could be able to post her at Hogwarts. That means that it was your responsibility."

"But surely I cannot be held responsible for her actions, Dumbledore. Why it's like saying that you are responsible for the action of every teacher at Hogwarts," Fudge protested.

"Ah! But posting her there was not all you did, Cornelius. You allowed her to pass various decrees that seriously harmed the students, and those decrees had your signature on them."

"Decrees? Seriously harmed students?" What are you going on about, Dumbledore?" Fudge said nervously.

"You had the entire defense curriculum changed, Cornelius," Dumbledore said in a steely voice. "Your reason being that children do not need to learn how to defend themselves. Well, now those very same children are in the middle of a war and they have wasted an entire year where they could have been learning to defend themselves. Not only that but when Harry Potter started a defense club to teach some defense to those who wanted to learn, a decree was passed banning all clubs. You gave Dolores Umbridge total authority and made anyone helpless to stop her. That_ is_ your fault."

Fudge looked panicked. "What rubbish, Dumbledore. The children are in no danger at all. Why would they need to learn to defend themselves? Aurors are there for a reason, after all."

"Because Voldemort will not give the Aurors an address and time telling them when or where he is going to attack. And you and I both know that Voldemort is hardly going to leave the children alive when he attacks somebody," Dumbledore retorted frostily.

"But even if You-Know-Who _were_ to attack, the children would hardly be able to defend themselves against him from what they learnt in a Defense against the Dark Arts classroom," Fudge said, trying to reason with Dumbledore.

"No, but it would have given them a better chance," Dumbledore thundered. "And as for your Aurors, they seem to attack innocent people instead of the Death Eaters. I believe that four of them attacked my Deputy Headmistress and my Care of Magical Creatures teacher."

Fudge goggled. "W-what? H-how? When?"

Dumbledore looked at Fudge with distaste. "If you cannot even keep track of what your employees do, how can you hope to run the Ministry?" Dumbledore said in a tone that dripped poison.

"But, Dumbledore, that is very unfair of you. If people are working behind my back I can hardly do anything about it. All I can say is that I will look into these allegations and I assure you that the people responsible will not go unpunished."

"Oh, the people responsible will not go unpunished. But I'm not done here, Cornelius. I also wish to bring to your notice the hearing of Harry Potter last year. Why is it that a simple underage magic hearing was held on the scale it was?"

Fudge looked very uncomfortable and didn't answer.

"Also, you engineered a campaign against Harry Potter, printing that he was deluded and insane."

"That is a lie," Fudge shouted. "And can you seriously hold me responsible for not believing him? I mean the boy has got a pretty dodgy past few years in Hogwarts and all sorts of rumors were going around about him. Yes, he was right about You-Know-Who coming back, but you can't really blame me for not believing him. And I could hardly allow him to start a nationwide panic."

"First of all, be extremely careful when you talk about Harry Potter, Cornelius. He has done more for us then you can possibly imagine. You and everybody in the country should be eternally grateful to him," Dumbledore said in a dangerous tone.

"He not only stopped Voldemort when he was barely a year old, giving us nearly fourteen years of peace, but during his first two years at Hogwarts he defeated Voldemort twice more. His first year, as an eleven year old, he saved the Philosopher's Stone from falling into Voldemort's hands. The very next year, as a twelve year old, he slew a fifty foot Basilisk that Voldemort had released on the school. If it were not for him, Hogwarts would have shut down long ago and Voldemort would have been invincible. So I will not have you speak ill of him."

There were loud gasps as Dumbledore said these words, as almost nobody knew of these happenings. There had been rumors but they were so unbelievable that no one had set much store by them.

"Are these things really true then, Albus?" Madam Marchbanks asked curiously.

"True enough, Griselda," Dumbledore replied. "Apparently, the rumor that Salazar Slytherin had created the Chamber of Secrets and enclosed a monster inside was true. The monster in question was a fifty foot Basilisk. Harry slew the Basilisk all alone and if there were any doubts of whether he is a dark wizard or not, you should know that he withdrew the sword that he used to kill the Basilisk from the Sorting Hat, and the sword in question belonged to Godric Gryffindor," Dumbledore said proudly.

The room was filled with awed whispers and talk at this comment as people discussed this amazing feat and what it meant.

"What rubbish! A fifty foot Basilisk and Gryffindor's sword. That is the most incredible tale I have ever heard," Fudge said with a nasty chuckle.

"I'm glad you find it so amusing, Cornelius, but if you like I can show you the sword. It is still in my office and still has some blood from the basilisk on it. Also, I can personally take you into the Chamber and you can see for yourself the corpse of the Basilisk," Dumbledore said sarcastically.

"It seems like we owe more to Harry Potter than we even realized," Madam Bones said.

"Indeed, Amelia. And as to whether you engineered all the newspaper articles of last year, I have a few journalists who are ready to testify to it. Shall I call them in, Cornelius?"

Fudge hung his head and did not reply.

"And lastly, Cornelius, the matter of the Dementors at Azkaban…" Dumbledore began.

"Oh honestly, Dumbledore, the Dementors are the best possible guards for Azkaban. Azkaban is entirely safe," Fudge burst out.

"Really, Cornelius?" Dumbledore said angrily. "Well, you should be pleased to know that I received word just an hour ago that Voldemort broke into Azkaban late last night and the Dementors have joined him. All Voldemort's followers, in fact his entire Inner circle, have been broken out."

Fudge looked dumb-struck as there was a loud burst of angry voices all around him. It didn't take long after that. The Wizengamot voted Fudge out of Office by a staggering majority.

Arthur Weasley put forward Amelia Bones name for the new Minister of Magic and it was heartily seconded. Ten minutes later, Amelia Bones was sworn in as the new Minister of Magic of Great Britain and as her first action Arthur Weasley was promoted to Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

**OoOoOoO**


	2. An Unexpected Visitor

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (02)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** If you truly believe that I own Harry Potter and that I'm making money out of this, just imagine in what other ways I can con you. (Rubs hands in glee)

Sharon thank you yet again for the wonderful job you are doing.

Tricia you are a great beta. If this chapter is any good it's due to you.

**OoOoOoO**

Chapter 02 – An Unexpected Visitor

**OoOoOoO**

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Arthur, Molly, Fred and George all sat around the dining table eating lunch. Hermione had just popped over, her fireplace having been added to the Floo Network yesterday.

"So, how's your shop going?" Hermione asked the twins.

Fred and George glanced at each other for a second, sharing a worried look. "Actually, it's not going as well as we had hoped," Fred replied quietly.

Hermione noticed that a pleased look flashed on Mrs. Weasley's face as Fred said this. Obviously, she was still hoping that her two wayward sons would settle down and take a job at the Ministry.

George had noticed the look on her face as well, because a moment later he scowled and said confidently. "Yeah, but it's a new business. And with school out right now the customers are a little thin. We expect that it will pick up when the students come in for their shopping."

Hermione had learnt that Molly had finally found out how the twins had got the money to start the shop. When she had heard she hadn't said a word except "That boy is too generous, bless his soul. Imagine giving his entire winnings to those two. They'll probably blow themselves up inventing their pranks."

Ginny had reckoned that had it been anyone else but Harry giving the money to the twins they would have felt the full wrath of an enraged Molly Weasley. But in her eyes Harry could do no wrong.

As Hermione thought about Harry her heart sank. What must be he going through right now? All alone with those horrible relatives of his.

"What's the matter, Hermione?" Ginny asked, seeing that her friend was troubled.

Hermione sighed. "I was just thinking about Harry. I wonder how he's doing."

Her words made everybody wince.

"Was it really necessary to send him back there? I mean, he just lost his Godfather," Fred said indignantly.

"I agree," his twin chimed in. "His relatives hate him. They are hardly the people he should be around right now."

Molly sighed. "Look, I don't like it any more than you do. I have tried talking to Dumbledore, but he says it's just for a few days. He says Harry's safety comes first."

"Yeah, we saw how safe Harry was there," Ron snorted. "He was attacked by Dementors there last summer. Is that Dumbledore's idea of safe?"

"At times like these I begin to wonder whether Dumbledore really knows what he is doing," Ginny said angrily. "Harry would have been as safe at Headquarters as he would be at his relatives. You know this as well as I do."

"Enough!" Molly said angrily. "I might not always agree with Dumbledore, but I have seen enough over the years to know that he always has a reason for _everything_ he does. He doesn't need you lot to tell him what to do."

Arthur shook his head slowly and looked at Ginny. "The fact is that we _didn't_ know that, Ginny. We were still trying to find out how much damage was done by Kreacher. It seems that he didn't or _couldn't _give away the location because Dumbledore was the secret-keeper for the Order, but we only discovered that yesterday and so we hardly could have had Harry stay there."

Ron turned red with anger. "That damned house-elf is the caused all of this. I swear I'm going to…"

"Ron," Hermione exclaimed, cutting off his tirade. "You can't blame him. You heard what Dumbledore said."

Ron looked at her, his eyes popping. His face went even redder in anger and it seemed he was going to blow up any minute. "I don't care what Dumbledore said," Ron snapped. "That house-elf was to blame, and you _know_ it."

Hermione sighed. She knew better than to say anything more to Ron in this mood.

"Anyway, how is he doing? I assume that the Order is still keeping an eye on him?" Ginny inquired anxiously.

Molly shook her head sadly. "Yes, Tonks was there yesterday. The first three days, he didn't come out of his room at all. Mad-Eye reckons that he didn't even go down to eat any food. But he suddenly went out yesterday in the afternoon."

Ginny had a horrified look on her face which was mirrored by Ron and Hermione.

"That's it!" Fred ground out through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, if Harry isn't here within three days were going to break him out. I don't give a damn what anyone thinks," George joined in.

"You are to do nothing of the sort," Molly yelled.

"Well, try and stop us," George yelled back. "Safe? Dumbledore wants him to be safe? If it keeps going on like this he'll starve to death. You-Know-Who won't have to do anything at all."

"Too right! We don't know about any of you, but we're not going to sit back and let Harry suffer like this. He wanted Harry to be safe last year too, and look what happened," Fred said angrily.

"I'm with the two of you," Ginny said quietly. "You better tell Dumbledore that he has three days starting today. After that we are getting him out of there. Enough is enough!"

There was deathly silence around the table as this last statement sunk in.

"I'll talk to him," Molly acquiesced. She realized that nothing she would say would do any good, and besides, there was the problem that she actually agreed with them. At this moment she was really proud of her children.

The mood was ruined and Hermione desperately tried to change the topic.

"So, Ginny, how is it going between you and Dean?"

Fred and George's bad mood quickly evaporated and they started sniggering. Though Ron looked in an even worse mood as he heard this latest comment.

"Well, we talk everyday through the Floo and I'm going to meet him tomorrow," Ginny said, shooting an annoyed look at the twins, who were making loud kissing noises.

Lunch was soon over, and Hermione stayed behind to help with the cleaning up. Molly would have none of it though, and she shooed her out. The twins and Mr. Weasley had left soon after lunch and Ginny had gone up to her room to write Harry a letter, but Ron was standing by the door, and he gestured to her to join him for a walk outside.

They walked towards the orchard. She could feel that Ron was uneasy about something, and she wondered whether he was still angry at her for taking Kreacher's side. Ron suddenly looked at her. "Hermione, you and I have been friends for a long time now. You have always been after me to study more and been nagging me to do this and not to do that…" Ron broke off, and Hermione wondered where he was going with this.

"Well, I… I just wanted you to know that all those years, and especially last year with the O.W.L.'s, I think… no…_I know_ that I would have never have made it without your help. Hell, I'd never have been made a prefect without you. I just wanted you to know that I really appreciate it," Ron said, gazing over at her awkwardly.

Hermione's eyes misted over. "Thank you, Ron. That really means a lot to me."

Ron shrugged. "Well, it's the truth."

Hermione was quiet as she observed him, wondering why he was saying all of this so suddenly.

They continued walking while talking about random, meaningless things. Just as she was reaching the end of her patience with him, he casually asked, "So, have you been in touch with Viktor lately?"

Hermione was stunned for a moment and was going to angrily ask him what business it was of his, and then she suddenly realized where it was all going. Ron's strange behavior… him asking her to go for a walk…

"Actually, I haven't heard from him in over six months," Hermione said offhandedly. She looked up to see a huge grin breaking on Ron's face and quickly hid her smile at how completely transparent he was.

"Well, I am very glad that you came to your senses at last," Ron said finally. "Yes, he's a famous Quidditch player, but that's not everything."

Hermione sighed in annoyance.

"I mean he comes across as a real grouch off the field," Ron continued, oblivious to the look on Hermione's face.

"Ron, first off, I never cared that he was a famous Quidditch player," Hermione snapped. "And secondly, he's a really nice person."

Ron's face fell at her comment.

"And besides," Hermione continued, now thoroughly irritated, "At least he knows that I'm a _girl_ and appreciates me."

"I appreciate you," Ron said in an injured tone.

"Really?" Hermione asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Yeah, I think you are smart… a-a-and talented…and… and b-b-beautif …I mean brave," Ron stammered.

Hermione looked at him encouragingly, waiting for him to go on. Had he just almost said that he considered her beautiful? But Ron had lost all the courage that he had tried to gather over the past hour.

Hermione watched him sweat as he struggled against his fear and embarrassment. Finally, she lost her temper. Just how difficult was it to tell her that he fancied her? It wasn't like she was a dragon that would eat him up. "Ronald Weasley, you are _such_ a git," she snapped, and turned around, angrily walking back to the Burrow and leaving behind a very confused and uncomfortable Ron.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry woke up early the next morning and quickly went to get a shower. Roger had told him that there were two classes held everyday and he could attend either the morning batch or the evening batch.

He'd decided to go for the morning ones because he always got up early anyway. The nightmares never let him sleep for more than a few hours, even after doing the exercises that Roger had given him.

He made his way down, and to his great pleasure saw that the Dursleys were not yet up. He quickly put a few slices of bread in the toaster and proceeded to scramble himself some eggs. Then pouring himself a glass of orange juice from the fridge he sat down to a quick breakfast. He kept glancing at the watch as he ate and as soon as he was done he stowed his dirty plate in the sink and rushed out of the door, determined not to be late on his first day.

Five minutes later, he found himself outside Roger's office and he knocked on the door.

"Come in," Roger's deep voice drifted out.

Harry quickly opened the door and entered.

"Good morning, Mr. Greene," Harry said flashing a small smile.

"Harry, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you yesterday. Now that I will be your teacher, you are to address me as 'Sensei.'"

Harry nodded. "Of course… Sensei," he said slowly, trying out the unfamiliar word.

"Ok, Harry, take this," Roger said, handing over a small black gym bag which was emblazoned with 'Green Martial Arts Training Centre.'

"In this you will find your training uniforms, belt and rule book. I expect you to read the rulebook as soon as possible," said Roger, motioning to the bag.

"Yes, Sensei."

"Oh, and by the way…" Roger said, pausing as he thought furiously. "Your weapons training can be started soon. I advice you start next week. It will take you that much time to get used to things."

Harry nodded. "Isn't it a bit soon for that, Sensei?"

Roger smiled. "I forget that you do not yet know too much about Aikido. No, Harry, You can start as soon as you want. You will start learning with the 'Jo staff'. You see, you will be using the staff to execute some of the exercises you learn in the next week. Once you are familiar with the exercises you can start using the staff. You won't start learning the dangerous weapons like the 'bokken' sword until much later though."

Harry shrugged. "I guess that makes sense."

"Oh, and if it is possible, get contact lenses, Harry. You will be practicing a lot of rolling and throws, and your glasses would surely break. If you don't want that, then there are special glasses you can buy to wear while you train. While you are at it also get a haircut. The hair falling into your eyes will only cause distraction."

Harry nodded again. He wondered how many changes he was going to go through by the end of summer. It was possible that many people would have trouble recognizing him.

"That's all then, Harry. Go change in the dressing room and join the others. Don't be late."

"Yes, Sensei, and thank you," Harry said politely, before he exited the room, hefting the bag in one hand.

Harry entered the changing room to find it full of people of different ages in various stages of undress. His appearance went completely unnoticed at first. He quickly opened the gym bag and took out the white top and trousers. The top was like a waist length dressing gown, and the trousers were loose fitting for complete maneuverability. He awkwardly tried to put the uniform on and seeing his difficulty, a tall, fair-haired boy of around his age came to his rescue.

"Having trouble with that?" the boy asked sympathetically.

"Um… kind of, yeah," Harry said, looking at his untidy uniform in embarrassment.

"Here, let me help you," the boy said, quickly showing Harry how to wear the uniform and adjusting it until it hung perfectly on Harry's frame.

"Well, there you go," the boy said, stepping back to have a look at his handiwork.

"Thanks," Harry said gratefully. Then, realizing that he hadn't introduced himself, he extended his hand. "My name is Harry, Harry Potter."

"Sean Hazelton," the boy said, firmly gripping his hand.

"Hello, Sean, it's a pleasure to meet you," Harry said with a grin.

"Likewise, Harry," said Sean, returning the grin.

Harry looked closely at Sean. He was tall, about Ron's height and had the same lanky build. His hair was a sandy brown and his face was open and good natured.

Meanwhile, Sean had been observing Harry. His eyes lingered briefly on his scar. "Say, Harry, how did you get that nasty scar?" Sean asked, pointing at Harry's forehead.

Hesitation flickered in Harry's eyes for a moment and then he replied, "I got it from the car crash that killed both my parents. I was a year old at the time."

Harry had figured that he couldn't very well tell him that he was part of a hidden magical community and that the darkest wizard of all time had killed his parents. So he had decided to go along with the lie his aunt had told him.

Sean gasped. "I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't know…"

"Don't worry about it," Harry said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "It doesn't matter. It was a long time ago." As he saw the astonishment in Sean's eyes, he wondered what his reaction would have been if he had told him the truth.

Harry followed Sean to the large room where training was held. Sean explained that it was known as the 'dojo'. It was a large room which was bare except for the large thick mat that covered the floor. The walls were unadorned besides a few small Muggle portraits displaying martial arts masters. Sean whispered to Harry that this was to make sure that the attention of the students didn't wander as in Aikido that could prove to be fatal.

Roger came in soon after them and the session started. He saw Harry and made his way over to them. Sean saw him and quickly bowed.

"Good morning, Sean," Roger said with a smile.

"Good morning, Sensei," Sean replied respectfully.

"I see you have met Harry," Roger said, nodding at a bemused Harry.

"Yes, Sensei, I just met him."

"Good. I want you to partner him from now onwards, Sean. You are a good teacher and I know that you will train him well."

"Thank you, Sensei. You honor me with your words," Sean said, bowing to Roger again.

Roger smiled and walked away.

"Well, I guess you're stuck with me, Harry," Sean said with a grin.

"Go easy on me, wont you?" Harry said, grinning back.

"Not a chance," Sean returned. "You are going to be black and blue and every joint will ache before I'm through with you."

"Well, that's reassuring," Harry joked.

"Listen, Harry, jokes apart, you will have to really pay attention. If you mess around for even a second we both could get badly hurt, not to mention you won't learn anything. While in here we don't joke or fool around. In here it's only Aikido," Sean said seriously.

Harry nodded. "Don't worry, I understand."

"Ok, then, let's get started."

Sean quickly put Harry through his paces and showed him the basic throws and rolling techniques, and the two boys practiced hard for over an hour. Sean had to stop constantly to point out where Harry was going wrong and correct him in his breathing and posture. He quickly found out that Harry's balance, which was one of the most important things, was very good.

Sean was a good and patient teacher. He explained to Harry the need for absolute concentration and the dangers of not properly executing a throw or roll. Harry found it very difficult at first, but Sean was surprised by his determination, and he made progress by the end of the second hour. Sean was quick to praise Harry, telling him that he was a fast learner and would only improve with practice.

After their practice in the dojo, Sean took him over to another room where he showed Harry some basic exercises to strengthen his wrists, followed by light weight lifting. "Your wrists need to be very strong, Harry. You need to put time into strengthening them," Sean said seriously. "At first it will be painful and your wrists will be sore and might burn. But it will get better with time."

After finishing the simple exercises and light weights, Sean and Harry did pushups. Sean explained to Harry that they were an excellent all-round exercise. They helped strengthen the arms, triceps, and wrists.

Harry could only manage ten pushups before he collapsed, and he watched with fascination as Sean worked his way up to one hundred in sets of twenty. He changed the position of his hands subtly with every set in a way that didn't mean much to Harry, but as Sean explained later, made a lot of difference as it changed the area of the body that was affected by the pushups.

By the end of the class, Harry was worn out and his wrists were throbbing and sore. He followed Sean into the showers and let the cool water soothe his tired and sweaty body. He realized that he had a lot to learn. It was going to be hard, but he resolved to give it his best.

**OoOoOoO**

Ginny stumbled unsteadily out of the fireplace, landing awkwardly. She would have fallen, but her natural grace took over and she steadied herself in time. Hastily wiping the tears in her eyes, she hurried to her room.

Molly saw her running and, noticing her red eyes, tried to stop her. "Ginny! Ginny, dear, what's the matter?" she anxiously asked.

Ginny ignored her and ran up the stairs without looking back. A few seconds later, there was a slamming of her bedroom door. Molly sighed and walked up to see what was wrong with her only daughter. She hesitantly knocked on her door, and when there was no answer, opened the door and entered. She had not taken more than a step inside when she was halted by Ginny's voice.

"Go away, Mum," Ginny said, not looking up from her perch by the window. She was staring outside and she was turned away so Molly could not see the expression on her face.

"Ginny, will you please tell me what's wrong?" Molly pleaded. "You were supposed to be spending the day with Dean. What happened?"

"Nothing, Mum. Dean and I had an argument. I…I decided to leave," Ginny choked.

"Oh, my poor baby! I'm so sorry," Molly said, walking forward and hugging her small daughter tightly. 'Not so small,' Molly realized suddenly. Ginny was growing up fast and was now as tall as she was. She remembered Ginny as a child - small, shy, clumsy and skinny and prone to blushing and running away when a boy with messy dark hair and emerald-green eyes visited.

She was no longer that Ginny. She had grown up. Her skinny frame was fast filling up and developing soft, womanly curves. She had lost a lot of her shyness, and the bright and mischievous side of her was slowly coming out. Her skin was also fast acquiring the pale, flawless complexion of a true redhead. She was still freckled, but instead of the liberal distribution of them that she had grown up with, her face only registered the smallest scattering across her nose.

Her daughter was becoming beautiful, Molly realized proudly.

"I'm going over to Hermione's house for a little while," Ginny mumbled softly into Molly's shoulder.

Molly released her and nodded. "I'm here if you want to talk about it, Ok dear?"

"Sure, Mum, I just don't want to talk about it now."

"Ok then, just make sure you come back in time for dinner."

Ginny nodded and quickly ran down the stairs and over to the fireplace, glad that Hermione's house had been added to the Floo Network two days ago. Ginny took a pinch of floo powder from the pot on the mantelpiece and threw it into the fire. "The Grangers," she said clearly when she had stepped into the roaring green flames.

She whirled around, and a few seconds later emerged from the fireplace at the Grangers' house. Hermione was sitting at the dining table and sipping on a mug of tea as she chatted with her mother.

"Hello, Ginny," Hermione said brightly as she hugged her. "I didn't expect to see you here today. What happened to your date?"

Ginny smiled awkwardly at Hermione.

"Hello, Hermione. Hello, Mrs. Granger," she said, putting on a bright smile. "Yes, I did have a date. I just came over because I needed to talk to you."

"Hello, Ginny dear," Mrs. Granger said, smiling at her. "Why don't you take Ginny up to your room to have your chat, Hermione?" The older woman had instinctively sensed Ginny's anxiety and knew that she wanted to have a private girl chat with Hermione.

Hermione nodded. "Come on, Ginny," she said, leading the way to her room.

Once they were inside, Hermione quickly closed the door and whirled around. "Let me guess, you broke up with Dean, right?"

"Is it that obvious?" Ginny muttered irately.

"Well, yes, first of all because I know that you were spending the day with him, and secondly because you have obviously being crying. Now if you were Cho Chang, I would have thought that you had just kissed someone, but since you are not Cho, I made my own conclusions," Hermione smirked.

Ginny grinned at the mention of Cho.

"What's so funny?" Hermione asked.

"Cho kissing Harry. The first kiss Harry Potter gets from a girl and she starts crying. I bet he's scarred for life," Ginny said with a giggle.

Hermione joined in the laughter. "Yes, you should have seen the look on his face as he tried to work it out. He had no idea what had happened, and Ron confused him even more making him think Cho was crying because he was a terrible kisser."

"Both those gits are _so_ clueless about girls and dating. Harry in particular looks like he would rather face a Basilisk then ask a girl out," Ginny said wryly.

"Ok, so what happened between you and Dean?" Hermione asked, bringing the topic back to the original discussion.

"Well, I told him that I would be going elsewhere for the rest of my summer and that I probably would not be able to meet him again until we go to buy our books," Ginny said softly.

"Go on," Hermione said.

"He was disappointed and asked where I was going. I obviously told him that I couldn't tell him. It's not like I can tell him about Headquarters," Ginny said, shaking her head in irritation.

Hermione nodded. She could almost predict what had happened next.

"Well, he got a bit miffed about that and when he heard that you, Harry and Ron were going to be there too, he got even angrier. He started asking me why Harry was coming over to stay. I tried to explain to him that Harry needed to get away from his relatives and after all that happened last year he needed to be around a few of his friends. He completely lost it at this point and accused me of still having a crush on him," Ginny said huffily.

"And?" Hermione prodded.

"…and I stuck around long enough to tell him that he was a jealous prick, that Harry was nothing but my friend and that I didn't ever want to see him again. Then I flooed back home."

Hermione patted her arm sympathetically.

"Why do boys have to be such jerks? And why do I get such gits to be in relationships with? What's wrong with me, Hermione?" Ginny asked in exasperation.

"Ginny, Dean is a stupid prat, and he is obviously insecure that you will leave him for Harry. You deserve far better. And there is _nothing_ wrong with you," Hermione said gently.

Ginny ran a pale hand through her hair and slowly nodded.

"Now…and this is just a friendly question… _Do_ you still have feelings for Harry?"

Ginny looked up as if she had been given an electric shock. "NO! How could you ask me that, Hermione? You of all people. You know I got over him long ago."

"Actually, I don't know that. I just know what you told me. OK, can I ask you just one more question?" Hermione asked.

"Go ahead, ask," Ginny said slyly. "I bet you'll die of curiosity if you don't ask, and my brother won't be very pleased with me then, will he?"

Hermione blushed a deep pink.

"Aha!" Ginny pounced. "I knew that something was up, what with Ron mooning around all the time. He has this utterly ridiculous goofy grin on his face whenever your name comes up in a conversation. It sticks out by a mile. I just wanted to know whether it was mutual."

Hermione sighed. "Well firstly nothing is up -_ yet_. Last year, I thought that something might happen. We were alone quite a lot, but what with Umbridge, and all the constant tension and Harry's unpredictable temper, nothing happened. But I did get the feeling that he was beginning to like me… as a little more than a friend."

Ginny grinned. "What about you? How do you feel?"

Hermione blushed. "Well, I like him too," she muttered embarrassedly.

Ginny's grin widened.

"But the prat won't say anything," Hermione exclaimed frustratedly. "The other day, when I came over for lunch, he asked me to take a walk with him. Well, I went thinking that maybe he was going to… you know… tell me how he felt. We walked around for nearly an hour and he talked about everything from Quidditch to garden gnomes. I was finally giving up hope when he asks me about whether I was in contact with Viktor."

Ginny groaned, "He's my brother and I love him, but I swear the boy can be soooo _thick_ at times."

Hermione nodded vigorously, agreeing totally. "Well, I thought that maybe he was jealous and wanted to know where I stood before he said anything else. So I told him that I haven't heard from him in over six months. I could see that he was really pleased with that. He had this big stupid grin on his face."

"So, what happened then?" Ginny asked.

Hermione quickly told her about the rest of the conversation and Ginny shook her head in annoyance. "He can be such an ass sometimes."

"Huh! You won't hear me arguing with you," Hermione sniffed in irritation. "Well, anyway, now that I have answered you, it's my turn to ask the questions."

Ginny nodded and sat back to hear what Hermione had to ask.

"Ok, I have always wanted to know why you had a crush on Harry. I mean why particularly him? Was it the Boy-Who-Lived thing?"

"Hmm…well no, not exactly, but it started out that way. I grew up with tales of the first war. I remember pestering Bill to hear about You-Know-Who's defeat so many times. Harry was this big hero to me back then. I always wanted to see the face of the person who I had heard so much about. Of course, I didn't catch more than a glimpse of him that first time," Ginny said thoughtfully.

Hermione grabbed a pillow and lay down on the bed, propped on her elbows.

"When Ron came back that year and told us about Harry, I was really surprised. I mean, he was a hero to the wizarding world but he was also this very nice person who had no airs about him. Of course, hearing about how he rescued the Philosophers' Stone and became the youngest Seeker in a century didn't lessen my admiration of him," Ginny said, scrunching up her nose as she remembered her reactions then.

"Well, after that when Harry visited the Burrow for the first time, I got to know him a bit better. Honestly, he was just so sweet and humble, hardly what you expect someone of his fame to be. He never made fun of my antics and even when he got that singing Valentine he never mentioned it, though I knew that he was very embarrassed about receiving it in front of half of Hogwarts," Ginny said, smiling softly.

"_That was you?"_ Hermione said in a stunned voice. "I always thought that it was Fred and George."

"Nah! That was me all right. Me being _humungously_ stupid," Ginny said with a frown. "And what's more, Harry knew it was me and yet he never said anything."

Ginny sighed and covered her face in her hands, shaking it softly as if trying to erase the humiliating memory.

"After that, he went and rescued me from a fifty-foot Basilisk and You-Know-Who at the same time. I always wondered why he did it. I mean, he knew that there was a Basilisk inside. He also knew that he would most probably die in there if he attempted to rescue me. I was just this annoying sister to his best mate. I don't think any other person at Hogwarts would have done it in his place. Yet he came. You know I never really thanked him for that, and I never even apologized to him for putting him through all of it because of my stupidity, but he never blamed me. In fact, he told me over and over again that it wasn't my fault."

Hermione looked at Ginny and noticed the tears in her eyes.

"You know, after it all happened, and we were in Dumbledore's office, I was sure that I was going to be expelled. Harry saw my fear and he never mentioned my part in it at all. Of course, Dumbledore knew at once, he always knows, but it meant so much to me that even after all of it he wanted to protect me," Ginny said wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

Hermione looked like she was having trouble controlling a few tears, too.

"Well, after that he continued to earn my respect year after year. What can you even begin to say about the things Harry has done? And yet you couldn't find a more down to earth or caring person. I used to just feel lost looking into his eyes. He has got such beautiful eyes," Ginny whispered breathlessly, speaking almost like she was in a trance.

She suddenly broke off and realized what she had been saying. She hesitantly raised her eyes to look at Hermione and saw a look of shock which was quickly being replaced by a shrewd knowing look.

"You still love him, don't you," Hermione said. It was not a question but a statement.

Ginny knew that it was no point lying, and she simply nodded.

"Oh, Hermione! It's just hopeless, isn't it? What chance do I possibly have? I could never have him," Ginny moaned unhappily.

"All this time you've just been pretending?" Hermione asked slowly, sounding stunned.

"What good would it have done, Hermione? I knew I never had a chance. I thought it was better if I started to get over him. But it's s-s-so h-h-hard. And I…I love him s-s-so much," Ginny gasped as she sobbed bitterly into her hands.

Hermione pulled Ginny into a fierce hug and soothed the troubled girl.

"Hush, now, I won't have you thinking like that. You know Harry better than to think that you have no chance. You are very special, Ginny, and Harry sees that. You have no idea how much he respects you, but you have to give him time to get to know you and notice you. It is just a very bad time right now. Harry is in so much pain at the moment that it will be impossible for anyone to get through to him, but you should try, Ginny. Understand that he will not make the effort. He is too wounded, and he doesn't have the slightest clue about girls. I will try and get you some time alone with him this summer, and I want you to try and reach him."

"Its no use, Hermione," Ginny said sadly. "I know that Harry doesn't go for money or anything like that, but I don't have much in the looks department to attract him either."

"That's plain rubbish," Hermione said severely. "You are _very_ pretty, Ginny. You are a fool to think otherwise, and if you love Harry that much and if you think he is so special, then you can't give him up without a fight."

Ginny hugged Hermione and nodded. "Thank you, Hermione. You are the best friend I could ever hope for."

**OoOoOoO**

Dawn was close and the night was rapidly dissipating. There was not a soul to be seen outside on the street, and there was perfect pin-drop silence. Privet Drive and its inhabitants were sound asleep. The night was suddenly disturbed by a soft popping sound as a tall thin man apparated into one of the bedrooms of No. 4 Privet drive. The man was dressed in plum colored robes displaying intricate patterns embroidered in silver.

He glanced at the inhabitant of the room from beneath his half-moon glasses. A look of love and tenderness crossed his face as he saw the messy-haired boy twitch and thrash under the covers as he was gripped under the spell of a nightmare.

He sat down on the boy's bed and gently caressed his messy hair until he stopped thrashing about and fell back asleep. It was unbelievable to Albus Dumbledore how much pleasure it gave him to soothe Harry, and how much pleasure it gave him to see Harry sleeping so peacefully when the nightmare had passed.

He wished that he had not allowed Harry to suffer so much pain. He also knew a fact, without Harry having told it to him that things had been much worse for him then he had let on. It was second-nature to Harry to underplay his suffering.

His glance fell on the back of the boy's right hand, and he was chilled to see the scar from the blood quill stand out in the dim light drifting in from the window.

How could Harry have been so noble, and at such a tender age? He had been kept uninformed all summer and had been very angry, but he had still seen fit to bear being abused rather than put his Head of House and Headmaster at risk. Dumbledore remembered how he had handled the news of the prophecy. Anybody else would have crumbled under the pressure, said that it was none of their concern, or screamed at the injustice of it at the very least. Harry had done none of that. He had just taken on the burden quietly, without complaint. The old Headmaster felt like he would burst with pride at Harry's behavior.

It was nothing short of a miracle that Harry had plodded on and turned out to be such a fine young man, even after all the hardships he had to suffer in his short life.

Dumbledore's heart sank at the prospect of Harry's immense burden. How could he have asked it of him? What did it say of him as a person that he had allowed this young boy to be so badly abused? Dumbledore swore an oath right then that he would stake his own life to protect Harry's. He would prepare Harry himself. He would make sure that he was ready.

He also swore that the boy would not be abused anymore. He would make sure that Harry found happiness. He knew that Harry did not want too much from life. He did not want wealth or fame or power. All he wanted was a little bit of love, and Dumbledore decided that he would make sure he got it.

He couldn't help smiling at Harry's choice in friends. Out of all of Hogwarts, he had immediately found the truest and most loyal and loving of friends. That itself said a lot about Harry.

He felt the boy stir, so he got up, conjured himself an armchair by the bed, and sank down to wait for Harry to get up and notice him.

Harry lazily reached for his glasses and put them on. His mind was still full of cobwebs and he gently shook his head to clear them. He instinctively felt that something was wrong. Something was _different_. He reached for his wand and took a quick glance around the room and groggily got out of bed, his mind not registering what he saw at first.

Suddenly he froze and whirled around again. "Professor Dumbledore?" he gasped, nearly jumping a foot into the air with shock.

"Good morning, Harry. I trust you had a pleasant nights sleep?" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Harry goggled at him. Albus Dumbledore was here, sitting in his bedroom, at _five_ in the morning and asking him how he had slept? Harry was convinced that he had finally gone over the edge and was hallucinating. He pinched himself and when Dumbledore didn't disappear, he pinched himself again.

Dumbledore calmly watched all of this with an amused smile.

"W-w-what do you want, Professor? " Harry finally stammered.

"Harry, I got your letter and I wanted to discuss it with you," Dumbledore said softly.

Harry looked away. He had so many things he wanted to say to Dumbledore… so many accusations he wanted to make. But now that he was here he found that he couldn't say a word. There was just something about Dumbledore that made it impossible for any decent person not to respect him.

"I'm sorry about some of the things I said in the letter, Professor Dumbledore," he mumbled.

"Harry, please look at me," Dumbledore said gently.

Harry slowly sat down and then raised his eyes to meet those of his Headmaster. Dumbledore just gazed at him thoughtfully for a minute. It was very awkward to sit still like this and Harry felt like Dumbledore was x-raying his very soul with his penetrating blue eyes.

"Harry, while you may be sorry for whatever you wrote in the letter I am not. I firmly believe that every single word that you wrote is true. I hope you believe me when I tell you that I am not saying this to make you feel better." Dumbledore looked at Harry and saw that he was averting his eyes again. "Harry, look at me," he said softly.

Harry didn't respond. "Please, Harry, look at me," Dumbledore repeated.

Harry slowly raised his head and his fearful eyes met those of the Headmaster. He saw only love and concern there.

"Harry, please do not blame yourself for Sirius' death. You do not know how much you are dishonoring him by saying that. After Sirius escaped from Azkaban, he had only one mission in life, to keep you safe and happy. Please understand that he wouldn't have wanted it to end any other way. You cannot imagine how unhappy he must be right now to see you like this."

Harry nodded and tears clouded his eyes.

"Harry, the only one's responsible for Sirius' death are Bellatrix Lestrange and Lord Voldemort. If you want to blame anyone, blame them."

Harry nodded again.

"I was also disturbed when you said that you were all alone. You are not alone. We are all there for you, and we all love you very, very much. Please don't ever say that you are alone. I didn't tell you the prophecy to make you feel that it is your burden and yours alone. We are there to help you and we will never let you face him until it is your choice and you are totally ready."

Harry looked at Dumbledore gratefully. "Thank you," he choked with emotion. "You…you don't know how much that means to me."

"Harry, I am immensely proud of you and the man you are becoming. I know that my actions have made you feel otherwise, but I care for you deeply and I am so proud of what you have accomplished in your years at Hogwarts."

Harry smiled through his tears. "Thank you, sir, but you do not need to apologize to me. If you weren't there I would have surely died at the Ministry."

Dumbledore smiled at Harry.

"OK, Harry, I need to discuss some important matters with you now. First, let me give you this," Dumbledore said, removing an official piece of parchment from his robes. "It is a lift of the ban on underage magic, so you will be able to practice magic during the summer. Please do not abuse it. I hope you will resist the temptation to turn your relatives into beetles, however much they deserve it," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Harry nodded as he took the document from Dumbledore, his own eyes shining with excitement.

"All right, Harry, about your other request. I have planned out roughly what I wish you to accomplish this summer. It will be a heavy workload, but I trust that you will manage."

Harry nodded. "I'll do my best, Sir."

"And _that_ is all anyone can ask of you," said Dumbledore with a smile.

Harry again wondered whether he was truly awake or whether it was all a dream.

"Oh, and the most important thing!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "You will be leaving for Headquarters tomorrow. I no longer wish you to stay here. I believe that your friends will be joining you there.

To Dumbledore's surprise, Harry did not look very happy at this.

"What is the matter, Harry?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"Well, Professor, I kind of wanted to stay here this summer," Harry said hesitantly.

Dumbledore looked puzzled at Harry's request. "Why would you want to remain here?"

"Professor, I have joined classes to learn Martial Arts over the summer. I think it will help me a lot," Harry blurted out.

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a second. "Very well, Harry, I believe that learning Martial Arts would be a very good thing for you to do. When do you attend these classes?"

"They are from six to ten in the morning, sir," Harry replied.

"Very well, I will fit it into the schedule."

Harry nodded his thanks.

"Ok, now for your transportation. Take this," said Dumbledore, handing Harry a thin gold ring.

Harry took it, looking at it curiously.

"Harry, this is a voice activated Portkey. You just need to say 'Activate' and it will transport you to Hogwarts. Part of your training will be conducted there. For the other part, Nymphadora Tonks will come to pick you up every other day."

"Pick me up to take me where?" Harry asked curiously.

"Ah! That is a surprise, Harry," Dumbledore said with a small chuckle. "But you will find out soon enough. I will send you your schedule with Fawkes later on in the day."

Harry was now very curious as to what the surprise was. He glanced over and saw Dumbledore looking around pensively.

"Is anything the matter, sir?" he asked anxiously.

Dumbledore looked up at him. "Well, Harry, your inability to move to Headquarters puts me in a bit of a spot. You see, I will have the unpleasant task of explaining to Molly Weasley why you have to stay here, but I was thinking that there might be a way to make my task easier."

"What's that, sir?" Harry asked.

"Hmm… if I were to convince her that you were being well looked after here…"Dumbledore mused.

"You're going to put the Dursleys under the Imperius Curse?" Harry asked in surprise, seeing no other way to manage this.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Not exactly, Harry, but let's call that Plan B, shall we?"

Harry grinned. "All right with me, sir."

Dumbledore got up quickly and waved his wand in a long banishing motion. To Harry's shock, the room started expanding. Dumbledore stopped when the room was roughly triple its size.

Harry then watched in amazement as Dumbledore went to work. It was a huge treat to see the old mage in action. He was one person who made the most difficult of things looks so incredibly easy. His body was one with his magic and moved gracefully, a strong and pure aura radiating from him.

Five minutes later, Dumbledore was done. Harry looked around in amazement. He could hardly recognize his bedroom.

His bed had been transfigured to a large four poster that was an exact copy of his bed at Hogwarts, and next to it stood a small night table complete with pitcher and glass. In the centre of the room, two comfortable black leather armchairs were gathered companionably around a low table. On the wall opposite the chairs were several shelves that would give him ample space for all the books he would ever need. On the opposite wall, a small dining table was set for two. The carpet that they stood on had been transfigured into a thick red and gold Persian rug that ran the entire length of the room.

Harry turned to Dumbledore and looked at him with his mouth hanging open. He was utterly speechless.

Dumbledore chuckled at the look on Harry's face. "Just a moment, Harry, I'm not quite done yet."

Not Done? _Not Done! _What _else_ had Dumbledore got planned?

Dumbledore waved his wand in a complicated movement and snapped his fingers. There was a loud crack and suddenly Harry found himself nearly bowled off his feet by someone throwing themselves at Harry's legs and giving him a bone shattering hug.

"Harry Potter, sir! Dobby is so pleased to see you."

Harry valiantly tried to keep his balance and looked down to see a familiar house-elf wearing a dozen hats and nearly as many socks on his body.

"Hello, Dobby, how are you?" Harry asked bemusedly.

"Dobby is fine, sir. Dobby hears that you once more handed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named defeat at the Ministry last month. Harry Potter is the bravest, bestest and most greatest wizard in the world," Dobby said looking up at Harry with shining eyes.

"Um, you are holding the wrong wizard's legs, Dobby," Harry said in an embarrassed tone. "Professor Dumbledore defeated Voldemort and _he _is the greatest wizard in the world."

Dumbledore looked amused at Harry's words.

"Harry Potter is not only great and brave, but he is also humble. He speaks not of his bravery in defeating the Dark Lord's followers," Dobby said, not looking as if he was inclined to let Harry change his opinion.

Harry sighed. "Dobby, really it was all luck. The only thing I'll say is that I'm unusually lucky, which I cannot say for anyone who chooses to be my friend." This last part was muttered under his breath but Dumbledore still heard them. The Headmaster frowned slightly.

He bent down to address Dobby. "Dobby, I need you to stay the summer here and take care of Harry. Our friend is known for not taking care of himself properly, but I know that you will take care of him. Will you agree to do this for me?"

Dobby's little body nearly burst with happiness and excitement, and he bowed repeatedly to Dumbledore, his many hats sweeping the floor. "It will be the greatest honor of Dobby's life to do so. Thank you, Professor Dumbledore, sir."

Dumbledore chuckled. "All right then, Harry, it's all settled."

Harry looked at Dumbledore happily. He remembered how he had behaved in Dumbledore's office barely more than a week ago. The thought that Dumbledore had still done all this for him after he had behaved so badly made Harry cringe in shame.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore."

"You are most welcome, Harry. Oh, and before I forget, Remus will be coming around day after tomorrow to take you to Diagon Alley for whatever shopping you might want to do."

"Thank you again, Professor. I promise you I won't let you down," Harry said eagerly.

"Harry, the only way you can ever disappoint me is by being unhappy," Dumbledore said patting Harry on the back before disapparating with a small pop.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry was sitting on one of the armchairs, reading the rulebook Roger had given him, when he was interrupted by a tentative tapping on his arm.

"You have received some letters, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby said, holding out three letters in his tiny fist.

"Thank you, Dobby," Harry said with a smile as he took the letters.

"You are welcome, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby said bowing low.

"Stop that, Dobby. You know that I don't like you doing that. I told you that you are my friend."

Dobby looked at Harry, his eyes going wide. "Dobby is sorry, Harry Potter, sir."

"How about dropping the 'sir' too, Dobby? Just call me Harry," Harry requested wryly.

"Dobby could never do that, sir," Dobby said in an astonished voice. "Calling a great wizard like sir by his name!"

Harry sighed. He felt that it was highly unlikely that Dobby would ever do that, but he knew that he had to try to make him at least. "Try it, Dobby. I _want_ you to call me by my name," Harry said.

Dobby nodded and went off to do his work.

Harry looked at the letters and recognized Neville's handwriting on one of them. He opened it and began to read.

_Hi Harry,_

_How are you doing? How is your summer going so far? My summer is going better than expected. I thought that Gran was going to really yell at me for having broken my wand_, _but she didn't. I was shocked when she told me that she was proud of me for what I did. She is going to take me to buy a new one soon. _

_So have you thought about whether you are going to continue the D.A this year? I think now that Dumbledore is back_, _the decrees will be scrapped. I guess we should be able to continue it. I never thanked you for helping me so much last year, Harry. You were unusually patient and encouraging with me and I want you to know how much I appreciate it. _

_Harry, I also wanted to say how sad I was about what happened to Sirius Black. It must be so terrible for you. If I can be of any help at this time please don't hesitate to ask._

_Your friend,_

_Neville Longbottom._

Harry was touched by his letter. He decided that Neville was definitely one person he would make an effort to know better this year.

He looked at the second letter and couldn't recognize the handwriting. He opened it and saw the name at the end. It was from Luna Lovegood.

Her letter was very much like her, vague and mysterious. She had written something about going on a holiday to find out about Crumple Horned Snorkacks and how it was going to be difficult since they were invisible to the human eye, and went on about how the goblins were planning a new resistance with the view of overthrowing the Ministry and taking over England and how Fudge was dealing with it by capturing Goblins and making them into pies.

Harry shook his head, trying to make out head or tails of the letter, and failed. He sighed, put the letter aside and opened the last one. He had kept this for last as he had recognized Ginny's handwriting on it.

_Hello Harry,_

_What are you up to? Hey_, _I'm really upset at you. I thought that as I wrote to you, you would write back. But it's been four days and there's no reply from you. I'm inclined to be generous and forgive you this time, but if you don't answer this one my next owl to you will hold a howler._

_I just wanted to write to you to tell you that we were at the Ministry yesterday to give testimony in Umbridge's trial. The cow got sentenced to ten years in Azkaban. Too bad the Dementors aren't around any longer. Another piece of good news is that Fudge got sacked and Amelia Bones was made Minister of Magic. One of the first things she did was make Dad Head of Magical law Enforcement. It's really nice to see a competent person as minister for once. _

_Other news is that we are going to move to Headquarters tomorrow and Mum has it on good authority that you will be joining us there in a day or two. It will be nice to see you again._

_Take care of yourself._

_Love, Ginny. _

Harry saw that Ginny had included two clippings from the _Prophet_ with her letter. He quickly read the articles about Umbridge's trial and the sacking of Fudge and a huge grin broke out on his face.

The day couldn't get any better.

**OoOoOoO**


	3. A Few Good Friends

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (03)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

I again want to thank my Britpicker Sharon who is doing such an excellent job

**OoOoOoO**

**Chapter 03 – A Few Good Friends**

**OoOoOoO**

Harry sat up, groaning with pain, as he found himself thrown yet again by Sean.

"Roll, Harry, roll!" Sean said in frustration.

"I _am_ trying to bloody roll!" Harry moaned as he rubbed his sore backside. Pain shot through his body as he rubbed the area and he winced. 'Oh my God!! I've broken my arse,' Harry thought in shock. 'Oh, ok, it's just very sore,' he realized gratefully as the pain reduced a bit.

"Don't try. Do it," Sean said. "I know you can do it. You just aren't trying hard enough. You were doing fine yesterday."

Harry glared at him. "Maybe that's because my entire body is aching _today_," he muttered angrily.

"Well, it's hurting because you aren't _rolling_," Sean said in an irritated tone.

Harry sighed and nodded.

"Ok, let's try again."

Harry gingerly got up and walked over and took his position.

A moment later he again found himself on his backside and he heard the familiar words. "Harry, why aren't you rolling?"

Harry groaned in pain, feeling very sorry for himself. 'Ok, now he had broken his arse!'

They practiced for another hour and Harry got a little better at the rolls, but he still got thrown badly a lot of the times. Sean then led Harry into the other room to do the wrist exercises and weights.

"Do we have to do this today?" Harry asked hesitantly. "My wrists are still very sore from yesterday."

"Yes, you have to do them today. You have to do them _everyday_," Sean snapped. "You are using muscles that have never been used by you before. Your body is naturally going to protest at the strain its being put to. For a few days you _will_ hurt all over. After that you'll be ok."

"How many days are few days?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Err… about ten to fifteen days," Sean said casually.

Harry groaned. 'What had he got himself into?' He nonetheless started the exercises by the end of which he just wanted to collapse.

Sean the taskmaster was not yet finished with him. And he made a moaning and groaning Harry do pushups.

"Five…six… seven… Come on Harry," Sean encouraged.

Harry felt as if he was going to collapse any second but he determinedly pushed on.

"Eight… nine…ten... That's the ticket," Sean droned on.

Harry grimaced as the forces of gravity urged him to collapse.

"Eleven… twelve… thirteen… Hey!!! Go all the way down. I want your chest touching the floor before you come up,"

"Shut…up…and… count," Harry gasped, as if he was dying.

"Fourteen… fifteen… sixteen… Come on you're nearly there."

Harry forced his sweating, tired and sore body to go the last mile.

"Seventeen… eighteen…. nineteen,"

'Come on, Harry, just one more and its all over,' Harry thought, hanging on to the idea like a lifeline.

"Twenty… Hey you want to try for thirty?" Sean asked.

Harry didn't answer him as he had collapsed on the floor.

"Oh, guess not," Sean said with a grin.

Sean pulled Harry up and half dragged the thoroughly exhausted boy to the showers and pushed him inside a stall.

Harry somehow managed to peel off his wet and sweaty clothes and then he stood under the hot water for what felt like hours as the water refreshed his tired and aching muscles. Finally he turned the taps off and slowly got dressed after toweling himself dry.

He was slowly walking out of the door when Roger's voice halted him.

"Harry, wait up. I just want a word with you before you leave."

Harry sluggishly followed Roger into his office and sat down in the chair, wincing as his sore bottom hit the hard, wooden seat.

"Hello, Harry, let me tell you that I have been hearing great news about the progress you have made."

Harry smiled tiredly. "Thank you, Sensei."

"But… I am concerned about something." Roger continued.

'Ah! so there's a 'but',' Harry thought nervously.

"Sean told me that your balance and speed is impressive. He was also all praise for your concentration."

"But?" Harry asked apprehensively.

Roger sighed. "But your stamina is very poor, Harry. You need to build it up. You get tired after a while and this causes you to lose your concentration. Without concentrating you cannot learn."

Harry sighed. "What do I do?"

Roger looked thoughtful. "I suggest that you start going for a short morning run. Start with a small distance and increase it over time."

Harry looked aghast. More physical exercise!!

"B-b-but Sensei! If I get tired with training won't I get even more tired if I start running too?" Harry stammered.

Roger smiled. "Yes, Harry. But it will build up your stamina. Maybe you will be utterly exhausted for a few days but after that it will help you immensely. Push yourself, Harry. You are very young and at this age your body can take it."

Harry nodded as he realized that Roger made sense.

"And Harry start eating a bit more. Your training will no doubt increase your appetite but from now onwards eat a bit more than you want to. The problem is going to be that you will be burning a lot of calories during training and running. But you need to gain weight at the same time too."

The last one was going to be a cinch Harry thought as he remembered the meal that Dobby had served him last night and for breakfast today.

"All right, Sensei. I'll try to do as you ask." Harry said with a smile.

Roger smiled back. "Good boy. Now I can see that I should excuse you as you look ready to collapse. Go home and rest."

Harry wearily got up and picked up his gym bag. He made to leave but Roger's voice stopped him.

"Harry, what you are doing is difficult. It is straining you. Right now I can see that you keep thinking of the road ahead of you and it seems so hard to you. But don't think of what you have to achieve. Every day set a few goals for yourself and try and achieve them. At the end of the day think of what you achieved and of what you were unable to. This way you will find it easier to get to where you want to be. Remember, when you are constantly looking at your goal there is only one eye left to find the way."

Harry pondered on Rogers last words all through his walk home. He _had _been thinking a lot about his immense task. About how much he had to learn over the summer. Martial arts, Advanced magic and Occlumency.

Harry thought dejectedly, that even with doing all of what he had planned, he still would be sadly lacking if he fought Voldemort.

How could anybody pit five years and three months of learning against fifty years? He knew that Voldemort and Dumbledore had not become such powerhouses overnight. It had taken them years and years to achieve the kind of power they now had.

He knew that the next time he met Voldemort he would die. He realized that he was not afraid of this. But he was concerned of what his death could mean. What it _would_ mean for the future of the magical community.

He sighed. It wasn't any use worrying about it. What was going to happen would happen. And what had Dumbledore said? 'No one can expect you to do more than your best?' Well that was fine. He would do his best. Worrying about it wasn't about to do any good.

When he got back home he saw Fawkes waiting for him on his bed.

He walked over and sat down beside the magnificent bird. "Hello, Fawkes," Harry said stroking his red and gold plumage. "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are? Hmm?"

Fawkes trilled softly and flew up on Harry's shoulder, gently settling down.

Harry laughed in delight at the warmth and love emanating from the bird.

"All right, Fawkes, Lets see what you've got for me."

He looked on the bed and there was a nondescript package lying wrapped in plain brown paper with a pale green envelope on top of it.

He ripped open the envelope to see a small schedule inside. He pulled it out and glanced at it quickly.

**Mon:**

11:00-12 pm - Occlumency  
12:00-1:00 pm - Transfiguration  
1:00-2:00 pm - Charms

**Tue:**

Offensive and Defensive Dueling

**Wed:**

11:00-12 pm - Occlumency  
12:00-1:00 pm - Transfiguration  
1:00-2:00 pm - Charms

**Thu:**

Offensive and Defensive Dueling

**Fri:**

11:00-12 pm - Occlumency  
12:00-1:00 pm - Transfiguration  
1:00-2:00 pm - Charms

**Sat:**

Offensive and Defensive Dueling

"Wow!!!" Harry exclaimed. "Dumbledore really went all out."

He wondered who would be teaching him Occlumency. Most probably Snape! He also wondered why Tonks would be picking him up for his dueling training. Would she be teaching him that subject?

He suddenly saw a vision of Tonks and remembered her repeatedly tripping over the umbrella stand in No. 12 Grimmauld place. He shuddered. Would it be a good idea to have _her_ teaching him?

He sighed. Well she_ was_ an Auror so she couldn't be all that bad. Then again, after Umbridge a troll would seem like a competent teacher.

He was really excited at beginning his training. Finally he was starting to dosomething. Things were finally starting to happen.

He picked up the package next and ripped open the wrapping. A large leather-bound book tumbled out. It was old and looked worn with use. Harry glanced at the faded title engraved in gold. '_One thousand curses and counter curses_.'

Harry grinned. This was turning out to be better and better.

He quickly grabbed some paper and parchment and wrote down a quick letter.

_Professor Dumbledore,_

_Thank you so much for the book and the schedule. I really cannot express how much I appreciate you doing all of this for my sake. I know that a lot of people are going to make a lot of effort for me and all I can say is I will learn with all my heart and try my best not to disappoint you._

_Thanking you,_

_Harry Potter._

Harry handed the small letter to Fawkes. "Can you give this to Prof. Dumbledore, please, Fawkes?"

Fawkes took the letter in one of his claws and singing a small note disappeared in a flash of fire.

Harry decided that while he was writing he might as well write to his friends too. He remembered the Howler threat from Ginny and realized that they must be worried at his silence.

_Ron,_

_How are you? How's the summer going so far?_

_My summer is going fine so far. The Dursley's just ignore me and that suits me perfectly. So played any Quidditch? How are the Cannons doing?_

_I am keeping myself quite busy nowadays as I plan on getting a lot done before the end of the holiday. That is the reason I won't be able to meet any of you this summer. While I miss you terribly, I realize that what I am doing is far more important. _

_I guess we might be meeting to buy our books together and I'll tell you more about my plans then._

_Hey listen, I really, really want to apologize for dragging you off to the DoM. I put your life at risk due to my stupidity and that is inexcusable. Also I was a real prat the past year and I unfairly took it out on you and Hermione. _

_I hope you can find it within yourself to forgive me._

_Your friend,_

_Harry._

He paused a minute, gathering his thoughts, before he started his letter to Hermione.

_Hermione,_

_How are you doing? What are your plans for the summer?_

_My summer so far has been… well, busy. I have got a few things I want to get done before the end of summer. I know you are curious but you will have to wait to find out from me in person. But you will probably be pleased to know that I will be learning quite a lot over the next few months._

_Listen, Hermione, over the years you have been my truest friend. You have always supported me and helped me. If I look back I don't think Ron or I would have made it without you. I think that having you as a friend is one of the biggest achievements in my life. Where else would I find such a wise, clever, loyal and caring friend?_

_Me and Ron have always treated you like dirt over the years. We came to you for help when we wanted and ignored you when we felt like it. Last year I took out all my anger and frustration at you. Before we set out to go to the DoM you told me it could be a trap. I, as usual, ignored you._

_I will always regret that. If I had taken that advice Sirius would be alive today. Instead I nearly led us all to our deaths. You followed me even though you thought I was wrong, just because you were my friend. _

_I can never forgive myself for that. I really don't deserve to be your friend, but there is still the little hope in my heart that you can forgive me and we can start over._

_I hope to be a better friend to you this time around. I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for all you have done for me._

_Your friend,_

_Harry._

Harry read his letter to Hermione again and sealed it. It had been a difficult letter to write but one that had been long overdue. He wasn't going to take his friends for granted anymore.

_Hi Ginny._

_How are you? What are you up to this summer? How is it going with Dean? Tell him that of he doesn't treat you right I'm going to use him as a test dummy for some of the more nasty hexes that I know… And I know some **really** nasty hexes. _

_Anyway, thank you for sending me those articles. I had a good laugh after reading them. Hey, also congratulate your Dad for me, will you? _

_Ginny, how is the situation with Percy? Has the stupid oaf apologized yet? I can't really ask this of Ron but I know that you will tell me honestly. _

_I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for your bravery that night at the DoM. I really feel so proud that such a person like you is one of my friends._

_Take care of yourself._

_Your friend,_

_Harry. _

He paused a minute as he thought of what to write to Neville. He had always underestimated him, they all had. Yet he had come through at the end. Of all of them only he and Neville had been left standing that night. He realized that he had never thanked Neville for his loyalty and courage he had shown at the fight at the Ministry.

_Neville,_

_I'm glad to know that your summer is going well. And I hope you get a wand to your liking. What else are you doing during the holiday?_

_As to whether we can continue the DA, I don't know I'll have to ask Dumbledore. I doubt that it will be necessary if we get a good DADA teacher._

_Neville, I am touched that you think so highly of me. Of course none of it was true. I did not give you any special attention during the DA meetings. You succeeded because you are a very talented and determined person. _

_I have never, ever, believed that you were any less a person than anyone else. You are a Gryffindor and you have all the qualities of a true Gryffindor. You are brave, unflinchingly loyal, and best of all, someone who will always stand up for what's right. I have always considered you my friend and I am honored that you feel the same. _

_I hope you have a good time for the rest of the summer._

_Your friend,_

_Harry._

He sealed Neville's letter and called Hedwig over. "Would you take these letters to Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville for me, girl?"

Hedwig hooted happily. She had been idle since the start of the holidays, having only delivered one letter to Dumbledore. She was eager to do some deliveries.

Harry deftly tied the letters on her feet and gently threw her in the air.

Hedwig flew out of the window and Harry watched her until she was a speck in the sky. Then he grabbed the book that Dumbledore had sent him and sitting in one of the armchairs settled down to read it.

Harry found the book to be very good. It explained in detail the curse and its results, the pronunciation, wand movement and counter curses.

The particularly difficult curses and wand movements were illustrated and explained in great detail.

He lost count of time as he read on and was so involved in the book that he didn't see the owl at first. The small, brown owl hooted, trying to get his attention.

Harry got a start and he half jumped out of his seat. He looked at the owl and sighed. He was getting really jumpy nowadays. He took the message from the bird and sent it on its way.

He opened the small note.

_Harry,_

_I'll pick you up at eleven tomorrow. Be ready to leave as there's a lot to do._

_Remus._

Harry's emotions were conflicted at receiving the note. He was happy to be able to go and do his shopping, but at the same time he was dreading seeing Remus. He wondered how he would behave with him knowing that he had been responsible for yet another one of his friends dying.

**OoOoOoO**

Ron, Hermione and Ginny were sitting on the Dining table in No. 12 Grimmauld place talking quietly amongst themselves.

"Thank God that Harry is finally coming here today. I was going crazy worrying about him," Hermione said happily.

"You, and all of us," Ginny agreed.

"What really worries me is that he hasn't answered any of our letters," Ron said with a frown.

"Actually, that was one part that I expected," Hermione said in a tone that screamed 'Wasn't it obvious?'

"And just _why_ did you expect that?" Ron asked irritatedly.

"Well, firstly he lost the one person who he cares about most in the world. He probably feels all alone right now…"

"Harry's not alone. He knows he has us," Ron said crossly, cutting Hermione off.

"It's not the same thing you git! We are his friends and Sirius was the closest thing he had to a father," Ginny said whacking him across the head in annoyance. Really Ron could be so thick sometimes!

"Owww!!!"Ron yelled, massaging the spot where Ginny had hit him.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted…" Hermione continued, totally ignoring Ron. Things had been a bit frosty between them since the disastrous walk they had taken together.

"He lost the one person who he cares about most in the world. He just faced You-know-who in the Ministry and nearly died, _again_. He knows that You-know-who is after him and will try everything in his power to kill him. And after all of that he is sent to live with his relatives who don't give a damn if he lives or dies," Hermione said ticking the points off her fingers. "Did I miss anything?"

"Yeah," Ginny said grimacing, as she heard Hermione. "You forgot to mention that Harry, being _Harry_, probably blames himself for all of the mess and is feeling as guilty as hell."

"Yeah, _that_ too," Hermione said with a sigh.

"Well, at least he'll be happy that he is leaving those Muggles so soon," Ron said trying to lighten the mood.

"Well I don't know…" Hermione said hesitantly. "He isn't exactly going to be thrilled to come back here. After all, this house will hold bad memories for him and certainly won't make it any easier for him to get over Sirius."

Ron groaned. "I get the feeling that this is going to be a looong summer."

"Look, we have to give him his space. At this time he most probably wants to be left alone. Let's try and not push him too much. Harry is a private person and won't appreciate us pushing him to talk about what happened," Ginny said thoughtfully.

"Ginny, that isn't a good idea," Hermione said in a bossy tone. "If we leave him alone he'll brood about it and things will only get worse."

"I'm not suggesting we leave him alone, Hermione," Ginny snapped. "I'm just saying we don't pester him to talk about it as soon as he comes here. Let's give him some time and try to keep him company and cheer him up a bit. Later when he's in a little better mood we try and get him to open up."

They were interrupted by Molly Weasley walking into the room carrying three plates heaped with eggs, bacon and sausages. As the two girls glimpsed at her face they noticed that she looked most unhappy.

Ron, of course, being _Ron_, was happily oblivious.

"So, Mum, what time is Harry arriving?"

Molly put the plates down a little too hard and a sour look crossed her face. "Listen you three, I've got some bad news. Harry is not coming over to visit this summer."

There was absolute silence.

Then at once the questions started flying.

"Not coming? What do you mean he's not coming?" Ron yelled.

"What happened Mrs. Weasley? Was he attacked? Is he all right?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"Did the Muggles do anything, Mum? Or was it Dumbledore's doing?" Ginny piped in.

"That's it! I'm going over to get Fred and George and we're breaking him out," Ron said pushing back his chair.

Molly shook her head, part in anger part in sadness.

"Dumbledore didn't do anything! Harry didn't want to come here."

Again there was complete silence.

Then again the questions started flying.

"What do…"

"Why the…"

"Is he…"

"Please, I only have two ears, speak one at a time," Molly said irritatedly, cutting the three of them off with a glare.

"What do you think happened, Mum?" Ginny asked unhappily.

"Is it the house, do you think?" Hermione inquired.

"Why in the world would he want to stay with those ruddy Muggles?" Ron asked bewilderedly.

Molly Weasley sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Dumbledore said that Harry has a summer project that requires him to stay there," Molly said.

"But Mum!" Ginny protested hotly. "The poor boy will starve there. You can't leave him there an entire summer all alone!"

"Apparently Dumbledore has taken care of that. Dobby will be taking care of Harry for the summer. He says he has visited Harry and they had a long talk before they reached this decision," Molly said.

She had argued with Dumbledore for ages but at last she had realized that if Harry did not want to come to Headquarters he could hardly be forced to. They had to respect his decision.

Ron, Ginny and Hermione looked at each other in exasperation. They were unable to make out what this new development meant.

"What do you think is going on? What's this project?" Ron asked finally.

"I don't know. Harry hasn't even written anything! Why wouldn't he tell us what his project is?" Hermione fretted. She was intensely curious about this supposed project and was also worried about her best friend.

Ginny's face had dropped several inches in disappointment. "Does that mean that we won't see him for the _entire_ summer?"

"Yes, I'm afraid that's exactly what it means," Molly said, a worried look on her face. She was afraid for Harry. Over the years she had come to consider him as her own son. And she knew that now, when he was at his most vulnerable, he needed her the most. She wondered how she was going to get through the summer when all she was going to do was worry about him.

"Nutters!" Ron exploded. "He's gone nutters!" His face was a mask of shock and dismay. "I mean, why would any sane person live with those Muggles the entire summer?"

They were suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a large snowy owl.

"Hello, Hedwig," Hermione cooed, stroking the owl gently. "Have you got letters for us?"

Hedwig hooted and lifted her leg to show the three letters. Hermione deftly untied the letters. "Maybe Harry has written something," Hermione said handing Ginny and Ron their letters.

Hedwig didn't wait for an answer and flew off after accepting a piece of bacon from Ginny.

Molly watched the three of them read their letters. It was the first communication from Harry and she was anxious to find out his frame of mind.

Ron sighed and rubbed his eyes in frustration as he finished the short letter Harry had written him. He wordlessly handed it to Molly who read it quickly. She looked up to see that Hermione and Ginny had finished reading their letters too. Ginny's face was unreadable but Hermione had tears running down her face.

"Why does the stupid prat feel that he has to apologize to us? It's not like he dragged us to the Ministry," Ron burst out.

"What's the matter, Hermione, dear?" Molly asked.

Hermione gave her the letter and Molly began to read it. She finished the letter and looked up unhappily. "This is not good. He is blaming himself for Sirius' death and having him all alone in the house for the whole summer without anyone to talk to will only make it worse."

Ron grabbed the letter from Molly's hand and quickly scanned through it. "What does he mean by learning? Why is he studying in the summer?"

"Isn't it obvious, Ron?" Ginny said speaking for the first time since the letters arrived. "He knows that You-know-who is after him. He wants to be better prepared in case he is attacked again."

"What has he written to you, Ginny?" Hermione asked.

"The same, that he's sorry and that he's proud of the way I handled myself that night," Ginny said wearily. "I suppose this seals it. He isn't coming here to stay."

Hermione guessed that there was more to it but she also realized that if Ginny had wanted to share it she would have. She sensed that Ginny was really disappointed at this latest development as she had really looked forward to spending some time alone with Harry.

Ron was looking distinctly unhappy and was muttering under his breath.

"What are you mumbling about, Ron?" Ginny asked irately.

"Nothing… I just… Damn the git! I guess I'll have to write to him about it now."

"What about?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Nothing," Ron snapped.

"Mrs. Weasley, I have an idea. Harry is not coming here to stay, but maybe we can convince Prof. Dumbledore to let us give him a party for his birthday. I think that he would like that very much," Hermione said brightly.

Molly Weasley's face lit up. "Of course, Hermione dear, that's a very good idea. I think that it will cheer him up a bit. I'll talk to Dumbledore about it."

Ginny grinned at Hermione. "Sometimes you come up with brilliant ideas, Granger."

"I try," Hermione said with a mischievous smile. "Besides I was hardly going to wait the entire summer to find out what Harry is up to."

**OoOoOoO**

It was late afternoon and Harry was tired of studying. The fact was that he was bored sitting in the house all alone. He wished that he had someone, _anyone,_ to talk to.

There was Dobby of course, but Harry had realized long ago that even though he could trust Dobby with his life, he was not someone one could chat casually with. With Dobby there was nothing casual. He was either happy to the point of exploding or really, really unhappy, where he started beating himself over the head with whatever was handy.

While the latter hadn't happened anytime soon Harry knew the possibility was always there. All one had to do was mention the Malfoy's by mistake.

He also didn't want to talk about his life or Voldemort or Sirius. No he just wanted to kill some time with mindless chatter so that at least for sometime he didn't feel the vast responsibility that was always hanging over his head. He remembered reading about the French Revolution and the guillotine when he was young and the feeling was similar. He felt that the blade would fall any moment and he would lose his head.

He sighed. Well one couldn't have everything. He knew that he had already had a lot of good things happen to him this summer. He was free to do magic, wasn't bothered by his relatives, He was to learn advanced magic, was working on his Aikido training, and he had Dobby, who provided Harry with sumptuous meals and took care of all his needs.

But a certain part of Harry couldn't help feeling that all the training that he was going to get over the summer was only because it was needed to keep him alive. The freedom to do magic and get training over the summer was not a treat. It was because the most dangerous dark wizard of all time was after him, and he needed to be able to survive.

He felt like a weapon at times, a weapon that needed to be as dangerous as possible. Like a sword being slowly sharpened. He hated the feeling. He hated not being able to do anything. He wasn't even free to choose his destiny. Even that had been planned for him, planned even before he was born.

If fate and destiny existed, and he ever chanced to meet them, he would give them a swift kick up where the sun never shone.

A part of him realized that it wasn't exactly true. It wasn't as if anyone would force himself to face Voldemort if he didn't want to. And he knew that a lot of people really loved him and cared for him. But the fact remained that it wasn't an option for him to choose anything else. The damn prophecy didn't say that he would be _one_ of the people with the power to kill Voldemort. It said that he was the _only one_ who had the power to do so. So he couldn't very well turn around and say 'Sorry, chaps, but he's not myproblem.'

Harry also knew that Voldemort was lusting after immortality and the thought scared him badly. If he died and Voldemort was able to achieve his ambition then people could be terrorized by him for hundreds of years.

'Ok, Harry, enough with the moaning and bitching. Your quota for the day is over. Now get back to reading the damn book,' Harry thought to himself.

He picked up the book and started reading again. He was interrupted a second later by the doorbell ringing. He knew that it couldn't possibly be for him so he ignored it and went back to reading.

It came as a surprise to him then, to have his aunt calling him down a minute later. "Boy, come down here. There's someone here for you."

Harry put down his book and curiously went down. Who could it be? He knew that he was meeting Remus tomorrow, so whatever it was could have waited till then. Unless… unless something had happened!

Harry's heart pounded as he raced down the last few stairs and pulled open the door, all sorts of terrible thoughts going through his head. What he saw both relieved and puzzled him. Because standing outside his door were Sean and two other boys of his age.

Harry heaved a sigh of relief. "Hello, Sean. What brings you here?" Harry asked.

"Well, me and these two here were going to go bowling," Sean said pointing at his two companions. "I thought that if we could find another person we could team up against each other. That other person turned out to be you. So, are you interested?"

Harry looked at him uncomfortably. "Uh… I don't know how to bowl. And well… I… the thing is… I don't think it would be a really good idea for me to come."

"Don't worry about that, Harry. We'll teach you how to bowl. After all, we all have to learn it at first. And you really do need to get out more often. I've lived in this area for sixteen years and yet I've never seen you before you joined up for Aikido classes," Sean said firmly.

Harry opened his mouth to protest but the no nonsense expression in Sean's eyes shut him up.

"All right, I'll just go tell my Aunt," Harry muttered.

It happened that he didn't need to tell his Aunt anything as she had, as usual, eavesdropped on his conversation.

She was rather reluctant to let him go. "Now, listen here boy, these boys are normal. They aren't _your_ kind. I don't like the idea of you mixing with them. What if something happens to them?"

Harry looked at her coldly. "Aunt Petunia, I don't think that my being around them will change them into _my kind_ as you call it. After all, fifteen years of being near this family certainly hasn't done anything to any of _you_."

"Don't be cheeky with me, boy. What if one of those Dementors attacks you again? Or some of those freaks that are after you? I don't want to have to answer any questions about your abnormality," Petunia Dursley snarled.

"Nothing's going to happen. I'm just going out for a couple of hours and I'll be back soon. If anything happens I'll take care of it," Harry snapped. But even as he said it he was having second thoughts about it. Did he really want to tempt fate with a foolish move?

Aunt Petunia would have said more but she didn't. Harry thought it was probably because of the warning the Dursleys received at the train station.

But she did give him a five minute lecture of the consequences to him if he let even one word of his 'abnormality' slip to the others.

Harry finally managed to escape from her but, by that time he was in a really bad mood.

He walked outside to find Sean and his friends waiting for him in an old beat up navy blue Peugeot. Harry got into the back and Sean turned around from the front passenger seat.

"By the way, Harry, let me introduce you to my friends. This is Jack," he said pointing to the tall black haired boy behind the wheel of the car. "And the guy you are sitting with is Alan." Alan was shorter than Sean and Jack and a little taller than Harry himself. His head was crowned with thick blond hair, the colour of straw. His face was gentle and kind looking and he had a good natured smile on his face. Harry immediately liked him.

He shook hands with both of them.

"So how do you guys know each other?" he asked as Jack started the car.

"Well, me and Jack go to Stonewall High together and we met Alan at Aikido practice," Sean replied.

"Hey, by the way I never asked. Where do you go to school?" Sean asked curiously.

"Yeah there have been rumors flying around for years that you attend St. Brutus'," Jack said glancing back. "Though I knew it couldn't have been very true. Your cousin looks a better candidate to attend it than you."

"Yeah, Harry, that cousin of yours is a real bully. I see his gang beating up small kids a lot. I have warned him about it but I guess one of these days me and Jack will have to teach him a lesson," Sean said frowning.

Harry hesitated. "Look, guys, I'll make something clear now so that there are no problems later on. There are certain things about me that I can't tell you. Certain things that I am not allowed to tell you. I can lie to you about these things but I won't. I have been lied to far too often to do the same to you."

There was silence in the car as Harry's words were processed by the three boys.

"What sort of thing could it possibly be that you can't tell us, Harry?" Alan asked quietly. "After all you are a fifteen year old. You make it sound as if you are a character in a spy thriller."

Harry laughed bitterly. "Well, you may not be too far off the mark with that. Sean, remember I told you that my parents were killed in a car crash? Well, they weren't. They were murdered when I was a year old and when the person tried to kill me too he ended up giving me this scar," Harry said pointing to his forehead.

There was another uneasy silence.

"What happened to this man, Harry?" Jack asked finally.

"Well, when he attacked me he got injured badly. He ran away and wasn't seen for thirteen years. Around two years ago he came back and since then he has been after me."

"Have you gone to the police? Why haven't you got this man arrested?"

Harry sighed. "Look, that's one of the things I can't tell you, ok? Let's just say the Police cannot stop him. But don't worry about it. It's under control."

"It just seems so unbelievable! Is that why you're learning Aikido? And is that why your Aunt doesn't let you go out?" Sean asked.

"That _is_ the reason I'm learning Aikido. But that's not the reason my Aunt doesn't allow me to go out. She and my mother didn't get along and when I was left on their doorstep they didn't really want me. Over the years she has told everybody that my parents died in a car crash. She doesn't want anybody to learn about the real reason. She and my Uncle can't bear anybody talking about them and they hate anything not 'normal' as they call it," Harry explained. "They would like nothing better than for me to disappear from their lives."

"You're kidding me!" Jack exclaimed. "She doesn't want to be gossiped about so she spreads lies about you and forbids you to talk about it?"

"No, unfortunately I'm not kidding you. They hate me and having to put up with me. But they are not the reason that I can't tell you. Look, I know that most of this must be sounding like some huge fib to you guys, but it isn't so. Maybe someday I'll be able to explain it to you."

Alan put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "No, Harry, we believe you. I don't think your parent's death would be something you would joke about like that. And we understand that you can't tell us some things. We won't ask you anymore about your past unless you tell us."

Jack and Sean nodded from the front. "He's right, Harry. If there is a good reason, of course you shouldn't tell us."

"All right, now let's talk about something pleasant. Tell us, Harry, you got a girlfriend?" Alan asked grinning.

Harry goggled at him. "Are you kidding me? Take a look at me. What girl in her right mind would go out with me?"

"Well, Harry, you're not all that bad to look at," Jack said over his shoulder. "A little thin perhaps, but by looking at your cousin I realize that there must not be much food left after he's done eating. By the way I wanted to ask, is that a fashion statement or are you just comfortable in err… overly loose clothes?"

Harry grinned. "'That,' as you call it, is my fat cousin's castoffs. I have to go soon to buy new clothes for myself."

"Yes, please go soon, Harry. Not only is your cousin fat but he has horrible taste in clothes," Sean said with a grimace.

"So, how come you guys are driving a car? I thought that you had to be seventeen to get a license."

Alan grinned. "Well, Jack turned seventeen a week ago. Earlier we used to borrow Jack's elder brother's car, but his parents found out and put a stop to it. We all decided that we needed a car and so over the last year we all got part time jobs to save money to buy this car. Jack got his license just three days ago."

Harry grinned. "That's great! Congratulations guys."

"Thanks, Harry, now we are going to see if we can try and fix this car up a bit," Jack said grinning back.

They soon reached the bowling alley and Harry found himself paired with Alan against Jack and Sean. Alan was a patient teacher and soon Harry got the hang of it and the pair of them gave Jack and Sean a run for their money.

Harry found bowling to be great fun especially the times when he managed to get a strike. His three friends went out of their way to make sure Harry had a good time.

Sean, Jack and Alan too found themselves liking Harry more and more as the evening wore on. He was a good sport and had a good sense of humor and had absolutely no airs about him.

The three friends noticed that Harry kept glancing around the room and kept one hand constantly near a long thin object in his jeans pocket. They didn't, however, ask him what the object was as they realized that it was something he probably couldn't tell them about.

They had a great time bowling and the hours literally flew by.

All too soon it was over though, and they were in the car and heading back to Privet drive. Harry found that he had enjoyed himself immensely and had found it easy to hang out with the three boys. He hadn't thought about Voldemort or the prophecy once the entire evening.

The three of them were telling Harry about themselves and their families and the talk was pleasant and casual.

Suddenly Sean exclaimed. "Oh my God, I forgot to tell you guys! Pat called yesterday. She's coming back this Thursday."

"Sean, you stupid prat! Why didn't you tell us before?" Jack exclaimed whacking him around the head.

"Pat is short for Patricia Marchbanks," Alan explained. "She is a friend of ours from Aikido classes. She had gone to Australia for a vacation. I guess you'll be meeting her soon."

"Yeah, Harry, you'll like her. She's fantastic at Aikido. She's been practicing it for eight years now," Sean said.

"Wow!" Harry exclaimed.

"Yeah, she studies in Stonewall high with us. But we only got to know her recently when we joined up to learn Aikido," Jack said as he pulled up in front of No. 4 Privet drive.

"Ok, Harry, here's your stop. We'll see you tomorrow morning in class," Sean said with a grin.

"Thanks a lot for today guys. I really had a lot of fun," Harry said earnestly, as he slowly got out of the car.

"No problems mate, keep your chin up,' Alan said cheerfully.

Harry stood outside until Jack pulled away and then slowly made his way back to the house.

**OoOoOoO**


	4. The Last Two Marauders

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (04)

**Author name:** Ham

**Author email:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old... 

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

As usual I want to thank my Beta and Britpicker Sharon. You rock!

**OoOoOoO**

**Chapter 04 – The Last Two Marauders**

**OoOoOoO**

Harry stumbled into his room, half dead with exhaustion. He had gone for a run before his usual session with Sean and it had taken almost everything out of him. If he had been tired yesterday it was nothing compared to today.

He knew that Remus would be here in half an hour but he was in no condition to go shopping. Harry cursed Sean and Roger heartily.

"Is Harry Potter all right?" asked an anxious voice from behind him.

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin in shock. He looked down to see Dobby looking at him with wide, worry filled eyes.

"Don't do that, Dobby," Harry said nervously. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Dobby is sorry, Harry Potter. He was just wanting to know if Harry Potter is all right."

Harry had managed to get Dobby to knock off the bowing and drop the _'sir' _and he considered it a major accomplishment. Of course he wasn't proud of the fact that he had threatened to send Dobby back to Hogwarts if he didn't do so. But Harry had been really uncomfortable with all the bowing and prostrating and so considered the means justified. His latest project was to try and get Dobby to eat with him, his excuse being that it was lonely to eat alone. Dobby would hear none of it and Harry decided not to push his luck.

"Yes, Dobby, I'm fine," Harry said with a groan, collapsing in one of the armchairs and shutting his eyes tiredly." I'm just very tired and I have to go shopping in a little while. I don't think even you can help me with this."

Dobby shook his head vigorously, his large ears flapping. "No, Harry Potter, Dobby _can_ help. He can go to Hogwarts and get Harry Potter some medicine to make him feel better."

Harry opened his eyes and looked at Dobby hopefully. "Could you, Dobby? I would be very grateful."

"Dobby will be right back, Harry Potter," said Dobby, vanishing with a loud crack.

True to his words Dobby came back within five minutes carrying a few vials of some purple potion. He handed one of these vials and a note to Harry.

He opened the note and groggily read it.

_Mr. Potter,_

_Here I am on holiday thinking that I am rid of students for a while and I find a house elf barging into my quarters asking me for some rejuvenation potion for you. I had hoped that you could have kept yourself out of trouble in the holidays at least, but it seems that it is not to be so._

_Anyway, I have given your house elf a couple of vials of potion. But do not take more than one at a time and do not use it unless you absolutely need to, as it can be very addictive._

_Madam Pomfrey._

Harry smiled and opening the vial drank the potion in a single gulp.

He felt the potion burning down his throat and immediately felt the effects as his muscles began to relax and the tiredness began to ebb away.

"Dobby, I am eternally in your debt," Harry said grinning at the tiny creature.

Dobby smiled happily his ears perking up. "Harry Potter is most welcome," he said giving Harry's legs a tight hug.

Harry headed to the wardrobe with a bounce in his step and looked around for something to wear. He was glad that he was finally buying some clothes for himself today. He was sick of wearing Dudley's foul cast offs.

He finally pulled on a baggy pair of jeans that were ripped at the knee and an old blue sweatshirt that was three times too large for him. He ran a comb through his untidy hair and tried in vain to get it to lie down flat. He finally gave up and it seemed not a moment too soon, for as he put away the comb the doorbell rang.

A moment later Petunia Dursley's loud screech drifted up. "Get down here, boy, there's one of _them_ come to meet you." The _'them'_ was said in a tone one usually reserved when they spoke about slugs and maggots.

"Coming," Harry shouted as he hurried down the steps.

He smiled as he saw Remus standing by the door. He looked tired and Harry remembered with a pang that the full moon had just passed a few days ago. He was dressed in an old plaid shirt and faded, worn blue jeans.

"Hello, Harry," Remus said, looking up at him with a smile. "Ready to go?"

"Absolutely," Harry grinned.

"I'll bring Harry back by dinner time," Remus said to Petunia, who was standing nearby with a sour look on her face. This was probably because Harry had forgotten to tell her that Remus was coming around today.

He was partially right. She, of course, didn't like the idea of one of _'them'_ in her house and if they had to come at least they could take her abnormal nephew away for the summer. The second reason was that she did not approve of Harry going out two days in a row as she felt that he was having entirely too much fun. Something she and her husband had done everything in their power to prevent since Harry was a year old.

"Come along, Harry," Remus said walking outside.

"How are we getting there?" Harry asked curiously, as he caught up with Remus after closing the door behind him.

"We'll be flooing from Figgy's house," Remus replied distractedly.

Harry noticed that he looked very anxious and saw his eyes darting around everywhere scanning the area. He also had a very tight grip on his wand. Harry too had a hand on his wand, but as he had been going for his training daily he wasn't as nervous as Remus.

They reached Arabella Figg's house and Remus knocked twice, in what Harry assumed was some kind of code and waited. The door was opened a crack and Mrs. Figg, the batty old cat lover, peered out cautiously.

"Shoo, Tufty," she said pushing a cat back inside the house. "Oh, hello, do come in," she said smiling at Harry and Remus as she pulled the door open.

Tufty tried to get out of the open door again, but Remus swooped down just in time and picked the annoyed cat up as it was streaking past him. Harry noticed that he had very quick reflexes. Remus handed the struggling cat over to Mrs. Figg.

She took the yowling cat and quickly shut the door after Harry and Remus entered.

The house was exactly as Harry remembered it. Cats were lying all around, on the chairs and sofas and on the various rugs strewn around the living room. It was also filled with photos of her precious cats, from the looks of it of _all_ the cats she had ever owned. They were there crammed untidily on the small tables and the mantelpiece and from the walls hung even more photos of the felines.

Harry personally felt that the lady was crazy. There was a difference between being a cat lover and being unnaturally obsessed with the creatures. Mrs. Figg was definitely in the second category.

He lifted his nose up and sniffed gently. Ah! The familiar smell of cabbage. Yes, it was all exactly as he remembered it. Some things never changed!

But things _were_ different. He all of a sudden noticed the little magic oddities all around the house that he had never noticed before when he had thought that Mrs. Figg was a muggle. A few of the photos moving around, a pot of floo powder above the fireplace, small things that he would never have noticed before if he didn't know what to look for.

Harry turned to face Mrs. Figg. "I want to thank you for helping me last year," he began awkwardly. "If it wasn't for you they would have expelled me for sure."

Arabella Figg smiled. "Don't mention it, Harry. I was only sorry that you had to go through that at all. It was our job to keep you safe and the very moment that something happened we weren't there to help. The least I could do after that was testify. Now I'll leave you two alone, you probably have a lot to talk about," she said nodding at Remus.

She went off into the kitchen leaving Harry and Remus alone. There was a heavy silence for a moment as both tried to find a way to resume the old relationship they had shared as teacher and student. It was difficult as both had their demons to battle.

"Why don't you sit down, Harry. I need to talk to you before we head out," Remus said finally.

Harry nodded and sat down on a large overstuffed couch, after moving an angry sleeping cat from it. Remus took the seat opposite him.

"Before you say anything I have to say something, Professor," Harry said quietly. He found that he was unable to meet Lupin's eyes.

Remus nodded slowly, wondering what Harry wanted to say.

"There isn't any easy way to say this, Professor," Harry stammered. "I know that Sirius and my parents were your best friends and I know how much they meant to you. I just hope you can forgive me," Harry said quietly. He looked up at Remus through blurred eyes that were full of unshed tears.

Remus was silent for a moment and then he asked in a puzzled tone. "Forgive you? Forgive you for what, Harry?" He had a sinking feeling that he wasn't going to like whatever he was going to hear.

"I as good as killed them myself. It was all my fault," Harry whispered brokenly.

Remus looked stunned. Whatever he had expected Harry to say, it certainly wasn't this. He moved forward and grabbed the boy into a rough hug.

"Why would you possibly feel that it was your fault, Harry?" Remus said gently. "And how could you possibly think that I blamed you for it?"

"I know you'll never openly blame me, Professor, but I can hardly run away from the truth when it is staring at me in the face," Harry sobbed. "If it wasn't for me Voldemort would have never gone after my parents and if it wasn't for my stupidity Sirius would have never come to the Ministry. _Merlin, you must hate me so much!_"

Remus was horrified at Harry's words. What had possibly made him feel this way? He knew that he would have been blaming himself for Sirius dying, but not like this.

"Harry, look at me," Remus said pulling away from him and gently lifting his chin so that it Harry's eyes were level with his own.

"I have never, ever, held you responsible for your parent's death, not even for a single second. And as for Sirius, that was _not _your fault. You did not kill Sirius, Harry, Bellatrix Lestrange killed him," Remus said firmly.

Harry looked away from those concerned eyes. He was unable to meet them.

"Sirius chose to come there that day. He chose to fight knowing and fully accepting the consequences. You think he could have lived with himself if something had happened to you?"

Harry shook his head violently. "No. He never needed to come. It was all my stupidity. I put everyone in danger."

"Listen to me, Harry," Remus said urging the young boy to believe him. "You could not have known that it was a trap. You saw Sirius in danger and without even a thought for your own life you went off to try and save him. If he _was_ in danger and you had died trying to save him would you have wanted him to blame himself for your death? If it was anybody's fault it was ours. You didn't even know what was happening around you. How could you have possibly known that Voldemort was trying to trick you?"

"No, Professor, I could have found out. He gave me a two-way mirror to contact him with. I could have contacted him through that. But I was so stupid. I didn't even stop to think for a second. Hermione told me it could have been a trap and I just ignored her," Harry said bitterly.

"Hermione also told me the reason you forgot to use the mirror, Harry. You didn't want Sirius to be caught so you purposely forgot about it. You were willing to have no contact with him at a time when you needed him most, just so that he would not be caught. If anything, it is the final proof of how much you cared about Sirius' wellbeing. You always gave his safety more importance than your needs."

Harry was still shaking his head trying to deny everything Remus was saying as it was ripping his sanity to shreds.

"Harry, he loved you more than life itself. You don't know how upset it would make him to see you like this. You are not to blame for any of it and if you even have a little trust in me, please believe me."

Remus pulled Harry back into a tight hug. Harry wondered whether Lupin knew about the Prophecy. What would he think if he knew that Voldemort had only attacked his parents to get to him? He probably wouldn't be hugging him like this.

"Harry, you cannot know how proud I am of you and of the man you are becoming. Don't you ever blame yourself again. How could you even think that I blamed you? That I didn't love you?"

Remus felt the tremors in Harry's body and felt his hot tears wetting his shirt. He held him tightly and let him cry. Harry was all he had left in the world and he was heartbroken to see him in so much pain. He thought of Sirius, James and Lily watching them right now and his eyes filled with tears.

"I…I'm sorry, Professor," Harry stammered, pushing himself away hastily and wiping his tears roughly with the back of his hands. "The last thing I wanted to do was cry on you. I know that it must be hard for you too."

Remus looked at Harry gently. "I am glad that you did, Harry," Remus said simply.

He gently pushed back Harry into the chair and knelt down before him taking both his hands in his.

"Harry, now that Sirius is gone, we are both alone in a sense. But we still have each other and I would like to think of that as something worth living for. I know that I can never take your parent's place or even Sirius'. But I would like to try to create my own place in your life. If you will let me."

Harry smiled through his tears. "I… I'd like that very much."

Remus pulled back and grinned.

"All right, now with that out of the way, I have something important to tell you. As you know the Blacks were a really old and rich family. Sirius was the sole heir to the Black fortune and he has named the two of us as his beneficiaries in his will. We have to go to the reading of his will at Gringotts today."

Harry looked horrified. "I don't want anything. You think I would ever take anything from that horrible family of his? They _hated_ Sirius."

"Harry, listen to me," Remus said grimly. "You can refuse to claim your inheritance, but if you do so it will go to the next of kin. Unfortunately in this case it would mean the Malfoy's and Bellatrix Lestrange. I for one am not going to sit back and let that happen. I don't want the money any more than you do. But it's the least that I can do for Sirius."

Harry's face hardened at Lupin's words. "All right, Professor, you are right, Sirius would hate it if the money went to them."

'_And so would I_,' Harry thought furiously. He had a long debt to settle with Bellatrix Lestrange and the Malfoy's and he would pay it in full even if it was the last thing he ever did.

"Harry, what's this _'Professor'_ business? I haven't taught you for years. Why don't you just call me Remus?"

"I could never call you that! Not after having you as a teacher," Harry exclaimed.

"Well, you can't go on calling me Professor," Remus said with an amused smile. "How about Lupin then?"

Harry shook his head. "No, that would seem too impersonal."

"Well, Harry, there aren't too many more choices left are there?" Remus said gently.

"How about I just call you Moony?" Harry asked thoughtfully after considering it for a bit. "I… If that's all right with you, that is?"

Remus grinned. "Moony, it is. Now let's get going or we won't be able to complete the loads of shopping that I know you probably want to do, seeing the state of your clothes."

Harry grinned back and got up, following Remus to the fireplace. Remus flicked his wand and the fire roared to life. He grabbed a pinch of floo powder, threw it into the fire and stepping inside clearly shouted. "Leaky Cauldron."

Harry hesitantly took a pinch of floo powder. He had never got comfortable with this form of travel, especially since his very first time of traveling this way had landed him in Knockturn Alley. He knew that it would be very dangerous if that sort of thing happened now.

'Hell, maybe he was doing it wrong! After all, the Weasleys and nearly everybody else had no problems with it,' Harry thought crossly 'Ok, Potter, tuck your elbows in, stand with your legs together, and say the bloody destination clearly. Piece of cake. He could do this.'

He threw the powder in. Then quickly before his nerve gave out he moved into the green flames and yelled, "Leaky Cauldron."

Harry stood like a statue as the fireplaces whizzed by. The ride was making him dizzy and the soot was going into his nose making him want to sneeze badly. He held on and finally he fell out through the Leaky Cauldron entrance. He stumbled and was going to fall down when Remus moved forward and caught him.

Harry stood shakily, taking deep breaths to calm the dizziness as he felt Remus brushing off the soot on his clothes. One thing was clear to him. _He still hated traveling by floo!_

The dizziness started ebbing and Harry looked around the crowded pub consciously. He realized with a sigh of relief that he hadn't been recognized – _yet_. He nervously flattened his fringe making it cover his scar.

"Come, Harry, lets go," Remus said quietly.

Harry nodded and followed Remus out. On the way he looked at Tom and the toothless bartender nodded at him in recognition and called out a greeting. Harry replied in kind. He realized that Tom knew he didn't like unwanted attention and had therefore refrained from calling him by his name. Harry smiled at him gratefully as he exited the pub.

Remus quickly tapped the brick to open the entrance to Diagon Alley and Harry followed him in. Once they were in Harry quickly lost his fear of being recognized as they blended into the crowd.

Harry had always loved Diagon Alley. It was so colourful and thronging with activity. There were always people buzzing all around doing their shopping in the many fascinating stores. It was the place where he had seen magical items for the first time in his life as an eleven year old, so it held an extra special place in his heart. He had always felt that Diagon Alley represented the lifeline of the magical world.

Harry glanced at the shops as he and Remus made their way to the large white building that was Gringotts, mentally making a note of what he had to buy later on.

They entered Gringotts and looked around and quickly joined the shortest queue to the counters. They waited as the people before them conducted their business and when they finally reached the counter, Remus walked forward.

"State your business," the Goblin said in a bored tone.

"Remus Lupin and Harry Potter, we've come for Sirius Black's will reading."

The Goblin pointed his finger, "You'll want the Claims department. The fourth door to the right."

They reached the aforesaid door and noticed a small bronze sign outside it proclaiming it to be the door for the 'Claims department.' Remus knocked smartly on the door.

"Come in," a voice said from within.

They walked in to find themselves in a large, opulent office. There was a large island circular desk dominating the centre of the room and several wooden filing cabinets were leaning against the walls.

"Hello, we have come for Sirius Black's will reading," Remus said politely to the Goblin sitting behind the table. Harry noticed that the goblin was very well dressed and had an air of authority in his posture.

"Oh, right, do take a seat. My name is Hridwlig," The Goblin said with a smile that revealed a set of sharp teeth.

Harry was having second thoughts about coming here. He just wasn't ready to deal with this yet.

"Mr. Potter, it is a pleasure to finally meet you," Hridwlig said looking at Harry, his gaze flicking briefly over his scar. "And you must be Mr. Lupin?" he asked as the two took a seat.

Remus nodded. "I am."

"All right, then," Hridwlig said taking out a file from his desk drawer. "Let's get on with it. As you know the Black family was a very old and respected name and they were very well off. Sirius Black was the sole heir of the Black family fortune and he has named you two as his beneficiaries."

Harry started feeling very uncomfortable at his words and Remus gave him a small smile. Harry saw that he was finding the whole process very difficult too.

"I will just quickly read his will to you now," Hridwlig said removing a thick document from the file and started to read it.

_I, Sirius Black, being of sound mind and body do make my last will and testament. I am acting under my own will, am under no kind of spell and have taken no potion that may affect my actions or state of mind._

Hridwlig paused here. "The legal jargon goes on for a while here. Do you wish me to just skip ahead to the actual will?"

Harry and Remus both nodded. They couldn't get this over with quickly enough.

Hridwlig flipped through a few pages and started reading again.

_To my friend, Remus Lupin, I leave the sum of twelve million galleons. _

_To my godson and ward, Harry Potter, I leave the sum of twenty five million galleons, the Black jewels and all other contents in my family vault._

"This disposes the contents of the Black Family vault," Hridwlig said looking up at the two stunned faces. "But there is still the matter of the properties and shares."

_To Remus Lupin, I leave 10,000 shares in Nimbus Inc. and the Black summer cottage in Windermere. He shall also be granted permission to stay at No. 12 Grimmauld Place as long as he is alive. _

_To my Godson, Harry Potter, I leave 10,000 shares in Nimbus Inc. and 10,000 shares in Smith and Thorn Publications. I also leave him No. 12 Grimmauld place and the island off the coast of Malta. _

_Also, as my last action as Harry Potters legal guardian, I specify that upon my death, if he is still not reached the age of seventeen he be declared as coming of age in the magical world, and have the full rights of an adult._

Harry felt absolutely stunned. What was he supposed to do with so much wealth?

"Well, that disposes of Mr. Black's will," Hridwlig said putting the documents back into the file. He removed two letters from the file and handed them over to Harry and Remus.

"Mr. Black had also left these letters for the both of you and requested that they be given to you after the will was read," Hridwlig explained.

Harry sadly looked at the pale green envelope. He turned it to see his name written on it in Sirius' untidy scrawl. His hands began to tremble violently as he broke open the wax seal at the back and took out the parchment from within. The letter was written on the same sort of thick parchment as the envelope.

_Harry,_

_The first and most important thing that I want to tell you is how much I love you. I could not be more proud of you, and being your godfather was one of the greatest honors of my life._

_I haven't really spent as much time with you as I would have liked, but even in the short time that I've known you, I know that you must have found some crazy logic to blame yourself for my death. How do I know this? Because I saw you all of last year where you were beating yourself up about Diggory dying. _

_Harry, please don't blame yourself for any of it. We all knew the risks when we joined the Order to fight against Voldemort. We knew that any one of us could die at any time. But we chose it, and we wouldn't have had it any other way. We fought and died for our beliefs, Harry. We fought and died for those we loved. The risk was worth it. _

_Harry, with me gone I know that you must be feeling alone. But you aren't. There are so many people who care so much about you. You can put all your trust in Remus, as he loves you very much and would die rather than betray you. The Weasleys too, are good, honest people and Molly and Arthur consider you as one of their own children._

_Harry, you have been blessed with wonderful friends. They love you and would give their lives for you. They are your greatest strength. Keep them close and listen to them, especially Hermione. _

_But, Harry, you must start making your own decisions. You need to prepare yourself for what's out there, and us hiding you from it isn't going to help. I respect Dumbledore immensely but I have always felt that hiding the facts from you and trying to keep you safe was never the answer. Yes, I knew about the Prophecy. I should have told you but I let Dumbledore convince me otherwise._

_If you don't know what the hell I'm blabbing about go give Dumbledore a swift kick up the arse and ask him about it. _

_Be brave, Harry. Your courage and strength will see you through these difficult times, I am sure of this. But you need to be careful. You cannot afford to make stupid mistakes. You are too important. You need to survive._

_With that out of the way I also want you to enjoy yourself. You are young and this time will never come back. You are the son and godson of marauders and I want you to keep up the tradition. I want you to have fun, party hard, get drunk, and seduce innumerable girls - not necessarily in that order. Anything less will displease me greatly._

_I know that you will be fine, Harry. You will not fail when the time comes. Myself, James and Lily will be there with you watching till the end._

_Your Godfather,_

_Sirius a.k.a Snuffles_

While Harry was reading his letter Remus was busy reading his.

_Moony,_

_I have known you long enough to know that you must be beating yourself up about me dying. Well, snap out of it. We both knew that we could have died anytime in this war. And if I see that you are blaming yourself for my death I swear I will kick your arse when I meet you next time. (Which I don't want to do for a long, long time)_

_Look, Moony, I know that it will be hard for you, but you have to be strong. You need to be strong for Harry. You are the last of the marauders (I never considered that bastard Wormtail a marauder) and now you will have to look after Harry. Make sure that he is safe, Moony. The kid has been through the wringer and I don't think that he can take much more._

_I also want you to promise me that you will take care of yourself. Use the money I have left you and pamper yourself a bit. I hated to see you struggling all those years to get by. Do me a favor and accept the money. It will do an old dog good to know that you are well looked after._

_You were always the wisest and most level headed of all of us and I have been proud to call you my friend all these years. All those nights that we spent together in the forest were the best times of my life._

_We will meet again and be together as we were. But till then take care of yourself. Look out for us when the moon is full. We shall be with you._

_Goodbye old friend,_

_Padfoot._

The two of them had trouble controlling their tears as they finished their letters.

Hridwlig gave them a moment to compose themselves and then looking at Harry said. "Mr. Potter, now that you are of age we have to discuss another matter with you. You see, your parents had made a will before they died and according to it you were to receive control over the Potter vault when you where declared of age or reached the age of seventeen, whichever came first. Now that you have been declared an adult in the magical world by your godfather you can take possession of this too."

"The Potter family vault? But I already have control of it," Harry said bewilderedly.

"No, Harry," Remus said softly. "That was only your trust fund that was set up for your education and your use during your years at Hogwarts."

"Why wasn't I ever told about this? Don't you think I would have liked to visit my family vault?" Harry said angrily.

"Harry, you couldn't have visited it unless you were of age or were accompanied by Sirius. The will made that very clear. And, Sirius, being a wanted criminal, couldn't very well have come with you," Lupin explained patiently.

Harry still didn't look convinced. "I don't think that the will said anything about telling me about the vault."

Lupin looked embarrassed. "We, that is, me and Sirius, thought that it would be better if we didn't tell you, as it would have disappointed you if you knew about it and could not visit it," he said awkwardly.

Harry was silent as he digested this. He realized that if he had known about the vault he would have been very curious to see it and he would have been really disappointed when he couldn't have seen it. Maybe it was all for the best that it happened this way.

"Don't think you're off the hook, Moony. I have found that all of you have kept quite a lot of things from me over the years. I'll just let it drop for now," Harry said, giving Remus a disappointed look.

Remus closed his eyes not wanting to see Harry look at him like that. He knew that he had to do a lot to win over Harry's trust and keeping things like this from him had maybe not been the wisest of moves.

"What's in the vault?" Harry asked finally. "Are there any personal possessions of my parents in it?"

Remus shook his head sadly. "No, Harry, the only thing inside belonging to your parents was Lily's jewelry. The rest was all destroyed with the house. Most of it is just Potter family heirlooms and gold."

Harry tried to hide his disappointment. "Ok, when can we go see it?" he asked.

"I just need to get you to sign some documents and then I will have somebody take you down," Hridwlig replied.

Harry and Remus were kept busy signing various legal documents for the next fifteen minutes.

Hridwlig then collected all the documents from them and put them away in the files.

"Mr. Lupin, we have transferred the money and shares to your vault. Mr. Potter would you like to retain the Black vault or would you like to have everything transferred to your own vault?"

Harry shook his head. "Leave everything where it is for now. I will see to it later."

"Very well, Mr. Potter," Hridwlig said. "I'll just have someone take you down to the vaults now." He rang a bell on his desk and a minute later a Goblin appeared.

"Ah, Griphook, take these Gentlemen down to the Potter and Black Vaults, please."

Griphook bowed and waited for Harry and Remus to follow him out.

"Thank you," Remus said politely, shaking Hridwlig's hand.

"You are most welcome. Please do come to me if you need anything else."

Harry and Remus then followed Griphook out the door and towards the carts.

"I know you," Harry said suddenly to the Goblin. "You were the one who had taken me down to my vault during my first year."

Griphook looked surprised that Harry remembered him after so many years.

"Yes, it was I," he said politely.

They got into a cart and soon they were off rushing through the tunnels at a blinding speed, deeper and deeper. Harry realized that he had never gone this far down before. He chanced a look at Remus and saw that the werewolf didn't particularly care for the ride. They continued going down and Harry thought he saw a flash of fire as they passed one of the tunnels.

Griphook had noticed his look. "Dragons," he said with a nasty grin.

They finally stopped before vault number 54 and Harry noticed that there were no handles or keyholes.

"The Potter family vault," Griphook said, as they got down from the cart.

Griphook ordered them to stand back, and moving forward quickly stroked the door down the centre. The door vanished and Harry saw into the vault for the first time. It was much larger than his vault and if Harry thought that his trust fund vault had a lot of money he was amazed by the amount in this one. There were piles of gold and silver everywhere.

Harry looked around in disbelief. "How much gold is in here?" he asked not really expecting an answer.

"Five million three hundred and thirty six thousand galleons and thirty four Knuts as of today," Griphook said carelessly.

'_If this was five million how much would twenty five million be?'_ Harry wondered in shock.

He moved into the vault and walked over to the back where other items were kept. He noticed a few old books and paintings and a box full of what looked like share certificates. He also found a couple of velvet topped jewelry boxes.

He quickly opened one of these and looked in wonder at the beautiful object inside. It was a breathtakingly beautiful white gold necklace, and it was studded with small flawless pink diamonds. But it was the jewel in the centre of the necklace that was most beautiful. It was a large flawless emerald the likes of which Harry had never seen before. It shone brilliantly in the torchlight.

Remus smiled at Harry. "That was one of your mum's favorite necklaces. She only wore it to very special occasions. James had it made especially for her."

Harry nodded distractedly as he ran his fingers over the beautiful piece. He sighed and shut the box, opening another one.

This box contained a tiny brooch. It was in the shape of a lily and was again exceedingly beautiful. The body was made of platinum and the stem was set with emeralds. The rest of the flower was studded with small shimmering diamonds.

Harry wondered how his mother would have looked wearing these jewels but found it very difficult as he had hardly any memory of her. He tried to form a mental image of her wearing the jewelry from the photographs he had of her and was unable to.

He shut the box abruptly and picked up another one. This was smaller than the others and when Harry opened it he realized why. They were a pair of earrings to compliment the necklace – delicate little emerald teardrops.

Harry shut the box and reached for the last one and smiled as he saw what was in it. It was a delicate charm bracelet, made of the finest white gold, from which three charms already hung. There was a tiny gold stag, its horns made of silver. A shaggy gold dog and a silver wolf.

Prongs, Padfoot and Moony! Harry realized with a start.

Remus took the box from Harry and stared at the bracelet, tears forming in his eyes. "This bracelet was one of your mum's most prized possessions. Every year, for their anniversary, James would give her a charm to add to it, things that were special to her. Well, it never got completed. They only had time to add the three charms to it."

A lump formed in Harry's throat as he heard Remus. Suddenly he wanted to get out of here. He was not ready to face the memories yet.

"Shall we leave?" he asked Remus.

Remus instinctively understood how Harry was feeling and they exited the vault quickly and got into the cart as Griphook closed the vault door again.

The cart started moving again and they went deeper still until they finally stopped at vault no. 12.

"Black family vault," Griphook said getting out and opening the door like he had done for the Potter vault.

As the door vanished a bright gold haze blocked Harry's vision. He blinked and narrowing his eyes, saw piles and piles of gold, silver and bronze coins. The vault was even bigger than the Potter vault and was about the size of the hall in No 4 Privet Drive.

Harry walked around dazedly completely astonished at the amount of wealth he found he now had. He looked over to a corner and saw a box that held some stock certificates. He also saw a few old portraits and books plus several suits of armor and weapons. He realized that he would have to get somebody to keep track of it all and catalogue it for him. He walked over to a small hardwood chest and curiously opened it. He was shocked to find the inside full of all kinds of precious gems – Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, amethysts and some stones whose names Harry didn't even know.

"This is unbelievable!" Harry burst out. "What am I ever going to do with so much wealth?"

Remus smiled. "You are young, Harry, you'll find it useful. And no one says you have to spend it all. You can leave it for your children, when you have them."

Harry was tempted to say that it would be highly unlikely that he would live long enough to have children, but stopped himself. It would be terribly churlish of him to say something like that.

He wondered whether it was fair that he had so much and the Weasleys who needed the money so badly had none. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he smiled.

"Griphook, can I transfer some of this money to someone else's vault?"

Griphook nodded. "You can, sir,"

"Can you also make it so, that the people who own the vault cannot give it back without my consent?"

Griphook nodded again. "Yes, sir, I can do that as well."

Remus looked interested. "What are you up to, Harry?"

"Oh, just something I've wanted to do for a very long time. Griphook please transfer two million galleons into the Weasley vault and make sure that they can't give it back."

Remus smiled. "Harry, even though I agree with your actions I don't think Molly and Arthur will accept such a big amount from you."

Harry smiled mysteriously. "Time will tell." He knew that the Weasleys wouldn't accept such a large sum from him. But he knew that there was one card that he could play that might force them to accept the money.

"I will have it done as soon as possible, sir. What are they to be told when they ask where the gold came from?" Griphook asked.

"Oh, you can tell them it was from me. Just make sure they can't give it back," Harry replied.

"Very well, sir. Would you be needing anything else?" Griphook asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes, I would like to withdraw two thousand galleons and enough galleons to change into two thousand muggle pounds."

Griphook looked at him curiously. "Mr. Potter, that much money is a lot to carry around. If you just want to shop in Diagon Alley you can have the shopkeepers charge the cost to your account directly. That way you need not carry so much gold. You can just take enough out for any shopping you might need to do elsewhere."

Harry looked at the small Goblin thankfully. "Thank you, Griphook. I did not know that such a service was available. I think I will do just that. Now what about the muggle currency?"

"You can get the required muggle currency from the counters on the top and that too will be charged into your account," Griphook answered.

"All right, then," Harry said. "Let's get back, shall we?"

Remus nodded. "May I ask what you plan to buy that you need so much money, Harry?"

"I need to buy a complete wardrobe," Harry answered. "I really am tired of Dudley's cast offs. I also need to buy a few books for studies and a watch and some other things."

Remus smiled. "Yes, I guess it's about time we bought you some new clothes."

Harry looked at him thoughtfully. "You know, you could do with some new clothes too."

Remus shook his head. "No, Harry, I have enough clothes. I really do not…"

"I'm not asking you, Moony," Harry said cutting him off. "You are buying clothes or else I'm not buying them either. You could do with a new wardrobe."

Remus sighed. "You're just like your father at times. Very well, I'll buy some clothes for myself too."

Even though he didn't show it, Harry could tell that Remus was pleased.

The ride back up was much slower as it was uphill this time and Remus had a much easier time of it. They finally got off the cart and after they thanked Griphook for his help they headed back to the counters.

They soon reached the end of the queue and after five minutes headed out of the bank to begin their shopping.

"Ok, Harry, what do you want to buy first?" Remus asked with a grin.

"Hmm… let's go and buy our new robes first," Harry suggested.

Remus agreed and they headed over to Madam Malkins. They entered the shop to find that they were the only customers at the moment. Before he had taken more than a few steps into the shop a loud voice exclaimed.

"Harry Potter! What are _you_ doing here?"

Harry turned to his right and suddenly found himself face to face with Alicia Spinnet, his old Gryffindor quidditch teammate.

Harry grinned at her. "Well, normally people come here to buy robes. What brings you here?"

Alicia smiled. "I work here now. Did you say you wanted to buy new robes?"

"Yes, I did. Both me and Prof. Lupin here," Harry said waving at Remus.

Alicia nodded and motioned for another girl to attend to Lupin. "All right, Harry, come with me. It was always a point of discussion in the girl's dormitories as to how we would dress you up if we could. Today I actually get to do it," she said gleefully.

Harry blushed. "Why would any of you ever spend time on thinking about dressing me up?" He asked curiously.

Alicia grinned. "You have no idea do you? Harry, you git, you may not know this, but a lot of girls have had crushes on you over the years. They always felt that with a little bit of grooming you could really look very good. But unfortunately you have a horrible dress sense."

Harry arched an eyebrow disbelievingly. "I find it very hard to believe that the girls in Gryffindor spend their time talking about my dress sense. Even more so, that any one of them would have these so called crushes on me."

"I didn't say it was only the girls in Gryffindor," Alicia said with an impish grin. "Face it, Harry, you are one of the most eligible males in Hogwarts, whether you like it or not."

Harry groaned. "It's probably the bloody scar!"

Alicia shook her head at his naivety. He didn't realize that it was much, much more than his scar.

"You really need to get off the modest bit, Harry. It really gets on my nerves sometimes."

"Why does everybody think I'm being modest when I'm saying the truth?" Harry exclaimed. "Seriously, what is attractive about me? I'm not that tall, I'm skinny, I wear glasses and my hair is always untidy. I know what I am and what I'm not. And _sex symbol_ I'm not."

Alicia shook her head sadly. "Harry, you may be skinny, but that's not something that can't go away. You may not be that tall but you're no dwarf either. As for the hair… I think its one of the really sexy things about you. But the thing that is most sexy is your eyes. You have gorgeous eyes."

Harry blushed and lowered his face so that it was partly hidden from Alicia.

Alicia smiled at this. What she had mentioned was only part of what was the 'Harry Potter' charm. He was incredibly brave, exceedingly humble, and could be really sweet. He was a born leader and had the ability to motivate people, to inspire them to do things that they never thought possible. If Harry did not notice his qualities it didn't mean that everybody else hadn't.

"Let's get on with it, shall we?" Harry said finally. He felt totally lost in conversations like these and couldn't wait to change the topic. "I will need a few school robes and a dress robe or two and some robes for training."

Alicia nodded. The school robes were easy and he selected a few of a nice soft, black material that she showed him. But the dress robes were more difficult. Alicia showed him numerous choices and finally helped him choose two.

One was a shimmering white robe made of some silky white material. It had a magnificent red and gold Chinese fireball embroidered on the back of it. When held up against the light it almost glowed.

The second robe was coloured a bright emerald green with a thin black and silver border. It brought out the colour of his eyes.

They moved on to training robes and Harry selected a material of thick, deep, midnight blue and ordered four sets of robes to be made.

"All right, Harry, the robes will be ready by tomorrow. Will you be coming by to collect them?" Alicia asked.

"Um… no, is it ok if I send my house elf for them?" Harry asked after doing some quick thinking.

Alicia smiled. "Of course."

Harry found that Remus had finished his shopping too and they both paid and left after Harry had hugged Alicia goodbye.

"All right, what's next?" Remus asked.

"Hmm… I need to get contacts. Do you know anywhere we can get them?"

Remus nodded and led him to a small shop that was hidden behind Florean Fortescue's. Harry read the sign hanging outside. 'Jenkins Eye Care – taking care of eyes since 1851.'

They entered the shop to find themselves in a small room that was lined with shelves crammed with all kinds of eye care equipment. Frames for glasses, sunglasses, eye drops, and even a few magical eyes that were rolling about in their display cases.

They were greeted by a jolly, balding, middle aged man.

"What can I do for you, gents?" the man asked.

"Erm… I was looking for contact lenses," Harry said looking around. The movement caused his already long fringe to fall into his eyes and he impatiently brushed his back.

The movement though had revealed his scar to the man for a moment.

"Merlin's ghost, you're Harry Potter!" the man exclaimed.

Harry groaned inwardly and waited for the inevitable questions, which oddly, did not come.

"Welcome to my humble shop, Mr. Potter. I'm Fred Jenkins."

"Hello, Mr. Jenkins." Harry said putting up a smile with an effort.

"Mr. Potter, I would just like to say how proud I am to have such a distinguished young man like yourself in my shop. Last year, when the papers were saying all those things about you and Dumbledore, I didn't believe one word of it. I mean, what can you say about people who praise somebody to the skies one year and the next are calling him insane and attention seeking?"

This time, Harry's smile was a genuine one. "Thank you, Mr. Jenkins, it is nice to know that at least someone thought that I wasn't crazy."

"All right, Mr. Potter, now as to the contact lenses. Would you like coloured ones or normal ones? And will you take the disposable kind or the non-disposable kind?" Mr. Jenkins asked.

"Uh… non coloured. But I don't really know about the disposable or the non-disposable kinds. Could you sort of advise me?"

Mr. Jenkins gave Harry a quick explanation about disposable lenses and protein build up in the eye. And Harry finally decided on disposable contact lenses. The man then proceeded to take his eye reading to find out his prescription.

"Do you want any sort of charms on the lenses?" Mr. Jenkins asked.

"What sort of charms?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, we have waterproofing and dustproof charms, also we have charms to enhance viewing and to make sure the lenses do not fall out of your eye, incase you rub your eye by mistake or splash water on your face, you understand?"

Harry sighed. "I just wish that there was a way to fix my eyes so I wouldn't need glasses or contacts."

Mr. Jenkins looked at him thoughtfully for a second. "Well, there is a way. Recently the Muggles have developed this technique called laser eye surgery where they can fix the eyesight of a person so that he does not need glasses. Since then we have been working on our own version. You see the muggle surgery has a bit of a risk of failure, but we have a hundred percent success rate."

Harry looked up, excited at the prospect and nodded for him to go on.

"Also, after undergoing the muggle method, you have to rest for two days and wait for your eyes to recover. Here it takes just half an hour. Another thing is that our method will make sure that your eyes do not deteriorate after a while, as will happen with the muggle method. Of course, your eyesight will fail due to old age, but that is unavoidable and happens to everybody."

"But there is a catch, isn't there?" Harry asked shrewdly. "That's why you don't offer it to everybody."

Mr. Jenkins nodded. "Oh yes, there's a catch, all right. You see, the half an hour that it takes for the process you will experience quite a deal of pain and burning in your eyes. Not a lot of people are able to deal with it."

Harry thought rapidly. Was half an hour of pain worth it to get rid of his glasses once and for all? He looked at Remus who shrugged.

"It's your call, Harry, if you think that it is worth it, go for it. But are you sure you will be able to deal with the pain?" he asked gently.

Harry knew that his faulty eyesight had always been a big disadvantage to him. He couldn't afford to let it hinder him in a fight. If half an hour of pain was what it took to get rid of the problem then it would have been worth it.

"All right, I'm ready to do it," Harry said to Mr. Jenkins, a determined look on his face.

Mr. Jenkins nodded and led Harry to a room in the back. He made Harry lie down on a small observation table and with a wave of his wand Harry was tied down so that he couldn't move.

"This is so you do not harm yourself because of the pain. I will also have to put a silencing charm on you."

"All right," Harry said. He looked to his right and saw Remus standing there eyeing him nervously.

Fred Jenkins waved his wand at Harry muttering, "_Silencio."_

Harry felt the silencing charm hit him and knew that now even if he screamed his lungs out nothing would be heard. Mr. Jenkins then administered Harry a vile tasting potion. But Harry was an old hand at this, as after consuming Polyjuice potion and Skelegro he could stomach anything.

He felt the potion running through his veins and he relaxed his body and watched Mr. Jenkins wave his wand in a complicated motion. He was muttering a long charm under his breath. A small purple light flew from his wand and into Harry's open eyes.

As the light hit Harry's eyes he felt a horrible burning sensation beginning in them, combined with a throbbing pain.

His mouth opened in a silent scream as the pain and burning intensified. He felt as if his eyes were being shredded with a meat scraper.

He lay there for what seemed like hours, thrashing around, sweat pouring down his body and his face drenched with tears. His eyes felt like hot coals and the throbbing pain had now become sharp stabs. Finally when he thought that he was going insane, he felt the pain and burning begin to ebb. He felt his eyes being opened gently and a cool liquid was poured into them.

Harry felt his bonds disappear and a minute later he heard himself groan and assumed that the silencing charm must have been taken off too.

"Open your eyes slowly, Mr. Potter," Mr. Jenkins said softly.

Harry slowly began to open his eyes. The bright light hit them making him squint. He got used to the light and opened them some more. What he saw made him smile despite himself and the pain he had experienced.

Fred Jenkins and Remus were standing by his side and he could see them clearly.

Mr. Jenkins moved towards a small table and picked up an eye chart from it. He moved towards Harry and held the chart up for him to see.

"Could you read from this chart for me, Mr. Potter?"

Harry slowly began to read from it and his smile grew broader and broader as he reached the smaller letters at the bottom and was able to read them clearly.

"Thank you, Mr. Jenkins, this feels really great. Though, I can assure you that this method of yours will not be catching on. Except for the Cruciatus curse it was the most unpleasant thing I have ever felt."

"You are welcome, Mr. Potter, and I realize that it might not be quite so popular. I am working on a little less painful method but it will take time," Fred Jenkins replied with a smile.

Harry gave Mr. Jenkins his vault number and asked to be billed to it directly. Then saying their goodbyes he and Remus left the shop and went on their way to complete the rest of Harry's shopping.

"I must say that looked quite painful, Harry." Remus said with a shudder as they exited the shop.

Harry grimaced. "Well, yes, in a way it was the most terrible thing I've ever experienced. When I was under the Cruciatus curse it was taken off after a few minutes, this felt as if it would go on forever. But it was worth it."

"Ok, what next?" Remus asked wondering what else Harry had got planned.

"Hmm… I need a watch," Harry said thoughtfully. "I've never owned a wizard watch and I thought that it might be nice."

Remus nodded and he led Harry towards a large shop that proclaimed in loud gold letters, _'Bowden Jewelers.'_

The shop was large and flashy inside and Harry immediately felt uneasy.

He felt shabby and out of place standing there in his old castoffs.

A thin greasy looking man walked towards them and surveyed them coldly.

"Yes, may I help you?"

Harry was irritated at the tone and was ready to walk out of the store immediately. But Remus spoke up.

"We are looking for a watch for him," he said pointing at Harry.

The man looked at Harry surveying him as if he was something smelly. Harry recognized the look, as it was one he got from Uncle Vernon all the time.

"Please, come this way," the man said finally leading them to a small counter.

He took out a couple of cases from below the counter and started showing the watches to them. He was deliberately showing them the more expensive watches, making sure that they saw the price tag of each one.

Harry was getting really irritated at the man's behavior and was on the verge of walking out of the shop when his eye fell on a beautiful watch.

"That one. Show me that one," Harry pointed.

The man smirked and took it out. "This one is white gold, mother of pearl dial and inlaid with sapphires. It is charmed to be unbreakable, shockproof and waterproof. It has the function for you to add family members to its hands to show where they are at the time." the man explained, showing Harry the watch face.

"You can add six people to this. You need a piece of hair or a drop of blood of the person you want to add. Just put the drop of blood or hair on the watch face and push this button here," said the man pointing the button out to him. "You then say the name of the person and they will be added to the hand. When you need the time you just press this button on the other side and the time will flash across the face for twenty seconds."

Harry liked the features and the watch was very beautiful.

"Another a special feature of the watch is that it will cast the disillusion charm on you if you press this button here," said the man indicating yet another button.

Harry was very interested at the mention of the disillusion charm feature. It could be useful in a tough spot.

"How much is it?" Harry asked casually.

"It is seven hundred and fifty galleons," said the man with a nasty smile. He was certain that the price would shock the two shabbily dressed idiots who were wasting his time.

Harry was a little stunned at this, but by now he was determined to buy it, no matter what the price. He knew that the salesman had been trying to embarrass Remus and him and he'd be damned if he was going to let that happen.

Harry looked at the salesman and nodded. "All right, don't bother wrapping it up. I'll wear it out."

The salesman's jaw dropped several inches in shock. But he immediately recovered himself. "Yes, of course, sir."

Harry flashed a grin at Remus amused at the man's behavior.

"Moony, you sure you don't want to buy a watch?" Harry asked casually.

"Quite sure," Remus snorted.

The man handed Harry the watch together with a small pouch containing the warranty papers and the case for watch. "Sir, you will find a detailed manual on the watch's features inside."

Harry quickly gave the man his vault number, had the required amount of money transferred and then they exited the shop, glad to leave it and the unpleasant, greasy salesman.

Harry looked at his wrist and admired his new watch. It really was something and Harry doubted that he had ever owned anything as beautiful.

Remus saw his glance and his look of pleasure and smiled. It was good to see Harry happy for once.

"I know you must think that it was a foolish, indulgent buy, Moony," Harry said not looking at him. "But I couldn't help myself. The greasy git needed to be put in his place."

"I don't think it was a foolish buy at all. I think it was an excellent choice," Remus said with a smile.

"Hmph… you don't need to say that just to make me feel good. Though, I must say the watch _is_ very beautiful."

"Harry, you are a rich man now. A watch is something you don't buy everyday and it is sensible for you to get something nice. Besides, Sirius would expect no less from you. And, confidentially, if you hadn't picked up the watch then I would have bought it for you."

"Thanks, Moony," Harry said smiling up at the older man.

"Don't mention it. Now, what else do you need?"

"Hmm… I need to visit Flourish and Blotts, get a new cauldron plus potion ingredients and get a new trunk. My old one won't hold all my belongings now and I dare not leave anything behind for the Dursleys."

"Let's get the trunk first then. Then we can put the books and other shopping into it."

Harry followed Remus to a small shop that he remembered coming to during his first year with Hagrid. They looked at the various models and Harry finally selected a large three compartmented trunk similar to the one that he had seen Moody use during his fourth year, except that this had no room in it, just three large compartments that expanded to two hundred percent of its normal size. It also had the feature of shrinking itself down to the size of a small notebook at a command.

Harry quickly paid for it and then they hurried to Flourish and Blotts. Harry spent a long time in here browsing through the books.

He started with the Defense against the Dark arts section and with Remus' help picked up a few books. Amongst them – _Dueling for Amateurs, Advanced Dueling, The Rise and fall of the Dark Arts, Dueling Against Multiple Opponents, The Standard Aurors Handbook_ and a slim volume titled _The Unforgivables._ He also picked up a couple of other books that he found interesting, for light background reading.

They moved on to the Transfigurations section and Harry picked up – _Advanced Transfigurations, The Art of Conjuration, The Animal Within: the Animagus Transformation_ and _Transfiguration in Dueling._

While Harry was browsing in the Transfigurations section Remus was out in the charms section picking up a few books for Harry. Harry then followed him to the Potions section.

He had decided that by the end of summer he was going to try and brush up on his potions work and if possible practice brewing a little bit.

He quickly picked up some books that he thought would help him – _Potions for Beginners_, _Common Mistakes in Potion Making _and_ Newt Level Potions._ He looked around and a large volume caught his eye, he pulled out the book, noticing the title – _Moste Potente Potions._ Harry's eyebrows rose as he remembered that this particular volume was the one they had sneaked out of the restricted section in their second year. He quickly added it to his other selections.

Harry browsed around the bookstore and picked out a few books that he liked. Including – _A Guide to Arithmancy, The Theory and Practice of Wandless Magic _and_ Strengthening Your Mind: A Guide to Occlumency. _

Finally, Harry was done, and he and Remus lugged the trolley towards the counter. Harry quickly gave the clerk his vault number and then emptied the books into his trunk. Remus shrunk the trunk with a tap of his wand and they were off.

They made a quick stop to pick up a cauldron and the basic potion ingredients Harry needed, then they headed to the Leaky cauldron for lunch.

Tom led them to a private booth in the back, and after taking their order, left them alone.

"What's Voldemort up to, Moony?" Harry asked quietly, as soon as Tom had left.

Remus looked at Harry, a pained expression on his face. "I _thought_ you would ask that."

"Look, Moony, we both know he's coming after me, and he could attack any time. I need to know what he's up to so I can defend myself. I don't think we can afford another screw-up like last year."

Remus sighed. "I guess you're right. Well, as you heard Voldemort broke into Azkaban and released those that were captured at the Ministry. The Dementors have joined him too."

Harry gritted his teeth. "Damn it! It seems pointless to capture those bastards. He just keeps breaking them out."

Remus grimaced. "Dumbledore warned Fudge about the Dementors. But Fudge was his usual idiotic self and ignored him."

"Godric's ghost! Voldemort doesn't need Death Eaters when he has idiots like Fudge to accomplish his goal," Harry groaned.

"Well, Amelia Bones will hopefully be able to get things under better control. She has joined the Order recently so this time there won't be a repeat of last year at any rate."

"Thank god for small mercies," Harry said sarcastically.

"Anyway, attacks have been on the rise since then. Several families have been attacked. We also know for a fact that he has been recruiting people to join his ranks."

Harry sighed. "Is there any good news?"

Remus shook his head. "Not really, the only good thing is that Dumbledore has again sent Hagrid to the Giants. They didn't agree to join us, but they have agreed not to join Voldemort for now. However, my feeling is that it's only a matter of time. The current leader is a real bloodthirsty one, if Hagrid is to be believed."

"Hagrid called him bloodthirsty? Blimey! that must mean he's really nasty. He used to call dragons harmless," Harry exclaimed with a frown.

They stopped talking as Tom served their food.

"Harry, what are you up to? I heard that you refused to go to Headquarters."

Harry toyed with his steak and kidney pie. "I've joined Aikido classes, Moony. Also Dumbledore has arranged to get me some training over the summer. The next time I am attacked I aim to make them pay."

Remus looked at him sternly. "Harry, I hope you don't plan to go looking for them."

Harry laughed bitterly. "Don't worry, Moony, I don't plan to do anything of the sort. I don't normally go looking for trouble. It finds me easily enough. I can't explain how helpless I felt that night in the Ministry. It felt as if those Death Eaters were toying with us. I can't let that happen again."

"Harry, we are worried about you. You have hardly replied to anybody's letters… and now this. I realize that learning how to defend yourself is important but do you think it's wise to spend the entire summer doing just that? You need to spend some time with your friends too."

Harry shook his head. "Moony, you don't understand at all. Nothing is as important as what I'm doing right now. You and I both know that the next time I'm attacked there's a very good chance I won't survive. The last few times were just pure luck. It can't last forever, I need to have a better chance. Even with all I'm doing I don't have a hope in hell of beating Voldemort."

Remus opened his mouth to interrupt but Harry cut him off.

"You know what scares me, Moony? He will go after Ron and Hermione or Ginny if he can't get to me. He knows that it worked for Sirius. It will work again. It's only a matter of time and I need to be ready."

Remus didn't know what to say. He knew that Harry was right. But what disturbed him was the fact that Harry had accepted the situation so easily.

After that, lunch passed by fairly quickly. Harry told him about his new friends and their trip to the Bowling Alley.

Remus was pleased that Harry had found some friends to spend time with during the summer but he cautioned Harry to be careful when he went out with them as there was the danger that they could get attacked.

They finished their lunch and washed it down with a couple of butter beers. Finally they finished and left the pub for Muggle London.

"Where to now, Harry?" Remus asked.

"Hmm… I need to buy clothes and get a haircut. Then I'm all done."

"Any idea where to go to buy the clothes?" Remus enquired.

"Yes, I believe that we might find the right shops around Piccadilly Circus," Harry said thoughtfully. "We can take the Underground to get there."

They soon found an Underground station and bought tickets. A short ride later they were standing outside a large clothing store in the heart of Piccadilly Circus.

Harry hesitantly entered the store followed by an equally hesitant Remus. The store looked far too expensive and neither of them had much experience shopping for clothes.

The problem was solved, however, when they were approached by a pretty brunette. She looked to be in her mid twenties and had a pleasant air about her that put Harry at ease.

"May I help you?" she asked politely.

"I need a complete wardrobe. But I really don't have too much experience buying clothes," Harry said awkwardly.

The girl laughed. "My name is Angela," she said pointing at the name tag on her chest. "I'll help you to pick out the clothes if you want."

Harry smiled and nodded shyly.

"Do you have any sort of budget?" she asked hesitantly.

Harry shook his head. "No, go all out. Money's not a problem."

She nodded and led him towards the men's wear section. "All right, let's start with a few tops. You have quite a slim build so I think polo necks and sweatshirts will suit you well."

She looked at Harry thoughtfully and quickly pulled out a few polo necked t-shirts and handed them over. "Here try these on," she said pointing him to a dressing room.

Harry quickly pulled on a black coloured Polo shirt and walked out to show it to Remus.

Remus smiled. "It looks quite nice, Harry."

"Really? Don't you think it's a bit too tight?" Harry asked as he looked down at himself critically.

"Not at all, sir. It is a perfect fit. You just feel this way because you have been wearing rather… loose clothes," Angela said with a smile.

Harry smiled back. "Thank you, and please call me Harry."

He went back into the changing room and modeled a few more polo shirts in various colours for Remus and Angela. She helped him select five and then handed him a few soft woolen sweatshirts to try on.

Harry liked how the soft material clung to his body and he and Angela selected a few of these too. Next they picked up a few casual t-shirts and also a few shirts – both formal and semi-formal.

He was happy with her choices and realized that she had really good taste. He was more than happy to leave the choices up to her. He realized that there were some things that women were just better at than males, and shopping was one of them.

She made him try out a few styles of jeans and they decided on the straight and boot cut styles. Harry picked up two of each. She was totally against the baggy loose fitting style and Harry finally gave in.

They also selected a couple of wool slacks and formal trousers. "In case you have a hot date," she said slyly. Harry rolled his eyes at that.

They finished selecting a few pairs of pyjamas, then sweatpants and sleeveless t-shirts that he could wear while jogging. She then led him to the leather section where she convinced him to buy a beautiful black leather jacket. Harry fell in love with it at once. The leather was soft and felt great against his skin.

"It will look great over just about anything you wear," she explained.

She also convinced him to buy some aftershave and deodorants. "You will be dating in the future, Harry. You will find that girls will be much more receptive to you if you smell nice," she said gently when Harry hesitated.

Finally he picked up two pairs of trainers – one for his morning runs and one for daily wear.

He thanked Angela for all her help and after paying for all they had bought, which came to a hefty eighteen hundred pounds, left the store, staggering under all the purchases.

They headed to a small alley, transferred all that they had bought to the trunk and shrunk it again. Harry suddenly found that he was exhausted. Shopping was not as easy as it looked.

Remus and Harry roamed around the street until they found a trendy men's saloon. Harry's hairdresser, a man in his late twenties, was very good at his job. He was dead against cropping Harry's hair really short. "It won't look good and would just stick up." He instead trimmed Harry's hair so that it wouldn't fall into his eyes and gave him a nice style that managed to tame the unruly mop a little bit.

"Your hair is naturally untidy and it looks good that way," the hairdresser said. "You should get a trim every month or so and you'll be fine."

Harry thanked him, really pleased with his haircut. They left the saloon and hailed a cab to take them back to Privet Drive.

"Thank you for all your help today, Moony. I really had fun," Harry said earnestly, after they had taken a seat in the back.

"Don't mention it. I had a lot of fun too. In fact I should have done something like this with you a long time ago," Remus replied.

"Why didn't you, Moony?" Harry asked suddenly. "I was here at Privet Drive for eleven years before I came to Hogwarts. I knew Sirius was in Azkaban, but why didn't you ever come to visit? Didn't you care about what happened to me?"

Remus looked sad at Harry's words. "Look, Harry, there's no excuse for what I did and I regret it every day. All I'll say is that it was a difficult time for me. I couldn't get a job anywhere and had no permanent place to live. And most of all I didn't know what I could say to you. I…I couldn't bear to look into your eyes and tell you about your parents."

"Yes, there is no excuse," Harry said angrily. "I was rotting there for ten years. _Ten miserable years, Moony!_ I didn't even know what my parents _names_ were until I was eight. I didn't know who they were, or for that matter who _I _was. All I had were the Dursley's words to go on. And they certainly never had anything nice to say about them."

Harry rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"They used to tell me that they were freaks and that they were useless people. They always said I was like them too. Sometimes I couldn't help believing them. After all no one ever came for me, did they? If what they said was a lie why didn't anybody ever come?" he whispered brokenly.

Remus closed his eyes and shuddered.

"Please forgive me, Harry," Remus said wiping the tears from his eyes. "We've failed you, all of us. But I promise you that will never happen again."

Harry nodded. "There's no need for forgiveness, Moony. I realize that you must have had a hard time. I know that your life isn't exactly a bed of roses."

"Yes, but that's no excuse. The truth is that I was afraid of what you would think of me, Harry."

"I assume you mean your condition?" Harry asked quietly.

Remus nodded hesitantly.

"I would never have held it against you. I know it wasn't your fault. It wasn't as if you chose to be like this."

"I know that now, Harry. But I was scared at that time," Remus said running a hand through his thick brown hair.

"Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your childhood? I feel I hardly know you," Harry said hesitantly.

And so Remus told him. All about his childhood, how he had got the bite, how everything had changed for him after that.

Before they knew it the cab was pulling up outside the Dursleys. They got out and paid the cabbie before walking up to the door.

"Keep in touch, Moony," Harry said softly as they walked up the pathway to the house.

"I will, Harry, I promise. I'll come to visit you again and I'll take you to lunch."

"I'd like that very much," Harry said. "Take care of yourself, Moony."

"I think that should be my line," Remus said, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

"Yeah, right! Who's the Marauder here?" Harry laughed.

"Harry, you were a marauder from the moment you were born. You are the son of a marauder and therefore a default member." Remus replied with a grin, before he disapparated away with a soft pop.

Harry smiled. _'Yes, in a sense they were the last two marauders.'_

**OoOoOoO**


	5. Interlude 01

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (Interlude)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old... 

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** Yeah, yeah, all J. K. Rowling's. But I can play with the characters, can't I?

**OoOoOoO**

**Interlude**

**OoOoOoO**

It was a large, forbidding fortress. The black stone it was built with almost felt like it was infused with evil. Or perhaps that was just the result of the unspeakable acts that had been practiced inside through the centuries.

Green and silver flags flew from three large towers, and right from the centre of the castle, rose the fourth and largest tower.

The structure on top of this tower was such that even the most hardened man couldn't help but shiver.

It was a sculpture of two gigantic Basilisks, sitting back to back. They were made of the finest silver and the craftsmanship was so detailed that most people felt that they were real at the first, terrified glance. From afar they certainly_ did_ look alive. Their eyes – two cold emeralds, looked at the surrounding area, seeing all that passed.

The area surrounding the fortress was some of the most wild and untamed places on the planet. It looked as if no one had set foot on it for centuries, which might very well be true. Forest, deep, dark forest, surrounded the fortress from all four sides. It was barely kept out by the high, impenetrable stone walls that formed the boundaries of the castle.

The forest stretched as far as the eye could see. Parts of it were shrouded with mist. It was, without doubt, inhabited by all kinds of dark creatures.

The most chilling thing about the place was its silence. It was as if Death himself was passing by and all creatures were hiding in fear so that they would not be noticed by him.

The silence was shattered by a soft crack, as a man suddenly appeared outside the heavy gates.

He quickly walked up towards the gates and was stopped by three large mountain trolls. Each of the trolls was well above twelve feet tall and they fingered their clubs menacingly as they looked at the man.

He, in turn, looked at them impatiently from beneath his hooded cloak and lifted his sleeve up over his arm showing them an ugly black tattoo of a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth.

The trolls looked disappointed as they opened the heavy gates for the man to pass.

He ignored them and brushed past, walking quickly to the second set of gates. The same process was repeated here, and once the man was let through he quickened his pace. It would not do to be late. The news he carried put him in enough danger as it was.

He was blind to the beauty of his surroundings as he hurried past.

The interior of the castle was very lavish and one could spend hours looking at the exquisite silk tapestries and the beautiful paintings. Thick, luxurious carpets lined the floors of the rooms and the furniture was stunning in its craftsmanship.

It was everything, beautiful, luxurious, awe inspiring. One thing it wasn't, was welcoming.

It was almost like the castle was a beautiful frigid woman, _cold and inaccessible, and very unwelcoming._

The man could feel the chilling cold as he neared the room and he shuddered. It got worse and worse until he finally reached the doors and pushed his way inside.

He waited for a second before his eyes adjusted to the dark room. It was a large throne room, and the only light around was coming from a couple of torches which were burning with a deep blue flame that threw a sickly shadow over everything. A large group of hooded figures stood silently in a corner, their eyes on the man sitting on the large stone throne in the centre of the room.

"Ah! Come in, Nott, I was expecting you. What news do you bring?"

Nott looked at the tall, pale form sitting on the throne and shuddered. The darkness prevented him from seeing all but the cold, merciless red eyes that looked at him impatiently.

The room was icy cold, no doubt caused by the Dementors that stood around the throne. The Dementors did not seem to bother the Dark Lord. In fact they appeared to be almost frightened of him.

Nott walked forward, fell to his knees and bending his head down kissed the hem of his master's robes.

"How did the negotiations go?" The Dark Lord asked. He seemed impatient to be kept waiting.

"M-my L-L-Lord…" Nott stammered. "I…they… I c-couldn't talk to him."

There was complete silence as this statement was digested. Nott felt the red eyes bore into his very soul.

"Do you mean to tell me that you did not meet with the leader of the Giants?" Voldemort said softly.

Nott was not fooled by the quiet tone. He knew that he was going to be punished, _very_ severely.

"I tried, my Lord, but Dumbledore sent that fool Hagrid again to them. The leader wouldn't even meet with me," Nott said shaking with fear at his fate.

"And you came back?" The Dark Lord said in a dangerous whisper. "You could not get him to talk to you so you came back to me empty handed?"

"My Lord, I tried to talk to them, I tried to get the others to pass on your offer, but they didn't accept it. I don't know what Hagrid said to them, but they wouldn't even listen to me. I tried again but they got hostile and I barely made it out of there alive."

"So you ran away and came back? I sent you there on my behalf and you ran away like a coward?" The Dark Lord screamed in anger.

Nott shrunk away from his master's wrath.

"What did you think your fate should be, Nott?" Voldemort asked softly.

Nott trembled violently. "Forgive me, my Lord. Give me one more chance."

"_Crucio". _

Nott screamed as the curse hit him. His whole body was exploding with pain.

"Forgiveness? No, Nott, I shall not forgive you. You have failed me again. It seems like my Death Eaters can do nothing right anymore."

The other Death Eaters shivered at their master's words.

"I send my best Death Eaters to the Ministry on a simple task and they let a bunch of fifth year students outwit them. Months of planning, months of effort, all wasted. The prophecy was destroyed. Then, to add insult to injury, all of them manage to get captured and thrown in Azkaban," Lord Voldemort said as he finally lifted the curse from Nott.

"It seems that you have forgotten that there is a price for failure, Nott. Maybe I will have to remind all of you what the price is."

"No, My Lord, please, have mercy on me. _Anything_ but that," Nott whimpered clutching the Dark Lord's feet and kissing them as he begged for mercy.

"You should have thought of that before you disgraced me, Nott," the voice said softly. "Now, I am waiting for your offering."

Nott shakily took out a dagger and a handkerchief from his robes and wrapped the handkerchief around his index finger of his left hand. He trembled violently as he thought about what he was about to do. He brought the dagger up swiftly.

Lord Voldemort watched with a cruel smile as the dagger connected with flesh. He savored the painful scream from the figure at his feet.

Nott nearly passed out from the shock and the pain. He shakily wrapped the finger in the handkerchief. Bile was rising in his throat and he wanted to throw up. He knew it would be fatal to do so. He bowed his head and offered the handkerchief to his master.

"Is that all you offer to your master?" Voldemort asked coldly.

"M-m-master?" Nott said in terror. "Please master… no more…"

"I will not ask again, Nott," Voldemort said quietly.

The Death Eaters all trembled in fear as they saw the wretched Nott tie his wrist in the bloody handkerchief.

A moment later there was a louder scream and the horrible sound of something falling to the ground. Nott was unable to take the pain this time and slumped down into unconsciousness.

The Dark Lord looked at the figure lying on the floor in distaste.

"Take him and throw him to the Manticores," he said softly, his voice devoid of emotion. "And let this be a lesson to all of you. _This_ is the price for failure."

**OoOoOoO**


	6. Lessons and Howlers

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (05)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old... 

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** Harry belongs to J.K. Rowling as do all the Canon characters. Sean, Jack and Alan belong to me, me, me. (Wanna trade?)

**Sharon you are the best Britpicker one could ask for. I'm glad you are on board. **

**Tricia… what can I even begin to say about the help you have given me? All I can say is that if you weren't there, there would be no TDH. Thank you.**

**OoOoOoO**

**Chapter 05 – Lessons and Howlers**

**OoOoOoO**

The fresh, cold morning air felt wonderful against his hot, damp skin. These early morning runs were still hard on him and he wasn't able to run any great distances yet. Half a mile and back was his best so far.

Harry loved this time of the day. Nobody was up and it was just him alone on the road. For just a little while he forgot all his worries and forgot the damned prophecy as his feet pounded on the hard pavement.

He enjoyed the sheer physicalness of running. He would start running slowly as he allowed his body to relax and his muscles to warm up. As his muscles loosened, he would slowly build up his speed, and as he approached the end of his run he would run flat out, pushing his body to the limits. He enjoyed the testing of his limits and setting new ones.

His heart felt as if it would burst out of his chest, his breaths were short and heaving, rivulets of sweat ran down his body. _He_ _had never felt so physically alive, except while flying_.

He entered the kitchen, wiping the sweat off his hot face and walked over to the fridge. Bending down, he pulled out a carton of orange juice and poured some into a glass.

He took the glass upstairs with him, taking large gulps of the cold liquid along the way. He usually got back before the Dursley's woke up and today was no exception.

As he showered he thought about what Ron, Hermione and Ginny were up to at the moment. Ron, atleast, would still be sleeping. He hated the fact that he wouldn't be seeing them at all this summer. He missed all of them terribly and again cursed himself for not going to Headquarters when Dumbledore offered him the chance. But he knew that he had to train. What he wanted was not important anymore. What _was_ important was what he needed to do to survive.

He got out of the shower and pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt before he headed over to the dining table. He saw that Dobby had set out a huge breakfast for him - scrambled eggs, sausages, toast, kippers and milk.

He had been advised by Roger to drink plenty of milk. He told him that he would get a lot of calcium from it and it would help him grow stronger bones. Harry hadn't been very pleased with the idea as he didn't particularly care for milk. He drank it nonetheless.

Harry was really thankful for Dobby's presence. He took care of Harry's meals, laundry, and kept his room neat and tidy. But what Harry was most grateful for was that he gave him the feeling that someone who cared for him was nearby at all times.

Dobby would fuss over Harry almost as much as Mrs. Weasley did. He would make sure that he ate right, tempting him with all his favorite foods. Dobby knew that Harry loved Pumpkin juice and he would bring him cool, refreshing goblets of the beverage as he would be studying his books. Harry also always found the tiny creature by him after a particularly horrible nightmare, sponging his forehead with a cool cloth until he fell back asleep.

He had really gotten fond of the tiny, excitable house-elf and knew that he would miss him when he was back at Hogwarts.

Harry usually spent the time after breakfast reading the spell book that Dumbledore had given him. He knew that he had lessons with Dumbledore today after his Aikido training and he wanted to show him that he had been working hard.

He settled down in an armchair and began to read. He always had his wand in his hand when he read the spell book so that he could practice the wand movements of whichever spell he was reading at the time.

Currently he was immersed in reading about a few spells that were meant to be used in duels where you were faced with multiple opponents. There was a whole section on it which listed area affect spells, disillusionment and illusion charms and a few really nasty spells.

Harry read all of them with great interest. This was something that would be really useful against Death Eaters, since they rarely attacked alone. The problem was that most of the spells were very difficult and needed great power behind them.

Harry knew that he had to master them as soon as possible to have any chance of escaping an attack alive.

He was memorizing the wand movements for a particularly tricky illusion charm when his wristwatch began to beep loudly.

He slowly put the book down and shut off the alarm. Then picking up his gym bag he left for the dojo.

Ten minutes later he entered the changing rooms and saw Sean and Jack getting into their uniforms in a corner. He slowly made his way to them.

"Hi Jack, Hi Sean," Harry said pleasantly, as he put his gym bag down next to theirs.

"Hi Harry," said Sean. "Hey! You look really nice in some clothes that actually fit you. Been shopping yesterday?"

"Um… yeah," Harry said distractedly as he stripped off his shirt.

"I see you aren't wearing your glasses. You get contacts then?" Jack asked.

"No not con… Oh, yeah, I got contacts. Roger advised me to get them," Harry said catching himself. He had almost revealed that he had got his eyes fixed magically. "He said I might break my glasses during practice."

"Brilliant. I told you that you could look nice if you got some decent clothes on. All you need to do now is gain some weight and you'll be ready to make the dating scene," Sean said with a grin, his deep blue eyes alight with mischief.

"Yeah, whatever," Harry muttered.

"Hey listen, Harry, we are hanging at Sean's house today. I'll pick you up about six, all right?" Jack said slapping Harry on the back.

Harry looked hesitant. Would it be right of him to put them in danger? He knew that if he was seen with them they would be potential targets. Should he even dare to think of taking such a risk? After all if they were attacked they wouldn't even be able to defend themselves, since they couldn't do any magic.

"Just be ready, Harry," Sean said impatiently, annoyed at Harry's hesitation. "Now, come on, and get dressed fast. We have to practice throws today."

"Ok, ok, I'm coming. No need to get pushy," Harry said exasperatedly. He was rapidly learning that Sean was not someone who you could argue with.

Harry was getting quite good at rolling and didn't end up getting as sore as usual. His throwing was an entirely different matter and he had poor Sean in all sorts of trouble.

"Damn it, Harry, concentrate," Sean said, getting up shakily from an awkward throw.

"I'm really sorry, Sean," Harry said remorsefully, as he rushed to help him up.

"Don't be sorry," Sean groaned, rubbing his injured elbow gingerly. "Just get it right before you put me in the hospital."

They finished practicing and went to do their wrist exercises, pushups and crunches.

By the end of it Harry was in agony. Sean had made him do thirty pushups and fifty crunches. He was hardly able to stand and his stomach was sore. But he couldn't help feeling pleased with himself. He was improving.

This feeling didn't last long though, as Sean told him firmly that he expected him to be able to do a hundred pushups and two hundred crunches before the end of the month.

Harry stared at him, and in his tiredness an insane thought crossed his mind. _Maybe Voldemort sent him here to work me to death!_

He shook his head at the absurd thought and slowly headed for the showers.

Harry was thoroughly tired as he reached home, and though he knew he had to cut down on using it he took another rejuvenation potion. He immediately felt loads better.

"Make sure I don't take too many of these will you, Dobby?" Harry said.

"Yes, Harry Potter. Dobby will make sure that Harry Potter does not take any more," Dobby said nodding his head vigorously, his hats looking in danger of falling off as his ears flapped energetically.

Harry saw the time in his watch and he realized that he had another few minutes before the Portkey activated.

He was pulling on a pair of training robes when a madly twittering, fluffy object, the size of a tennis ball, flew in through the open window. Harry recognized it as Pigwidgeon.

"Hi, Pig, what have you got for…" His eyes suddenly went wide as he noticed what the tiny owl was carrying. It was a bright red envelope that Harry recognized only too well.

"Pig, come down here, NOW," Harry said urgently, as he made a lunge for the owl and missed.

Pigwidgeon flew hither and thither in his happiness of successfully delivering a letter and led poor Harry a merry chase.

Harry finally managed to catch the tiny owl and took the letter from it. He noticed in horror that it was already smoking.

He frantically looked around trying to find a way of disposing the Howler quickly. Who had sent him the Howler? Obviously it was the Weasleys, but which one? He dismissed Ron and the twins. Mr. Weasley wouldn't send him one and neither would Bill or Charlie. That left – _Mrs. Weasley._

Godric's Ghost! He was in a soup now. If the Howler opened up here Aunt Petunia would roast him alive over the spit _– very, very slowly._

He suddenly had a brilliant idea, or so he thought. A lot later he realized that a silencing charm would have been the best and most obvious solution.

"Dobby, Dobby, come here quickly," Harry yelled.

Dobby appeared with a loud crack. "Yes, Harry Potter? Does…"

Harry shoved the envelope in his hands. "Take this and go… anywhere… _Fast!!!_"

But it was too late. The envelope suddenly burst open and nearly deafened the two of them.

HARRY POTTER!!! a female voice screamed.

Harry's eyes went wide. This wasn't Mrs. Weasley! This was – _Ginny?!?_

OF ALL THE PRATS IN THE WORLD YOU ARE THE BIGGEST. WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN YOU AREN'T COMING OVER?

ALL OF US SHIFTED HERE JUST FOR **_YOU_**. HERMIONE DIDN'T GO ON HOLIDAY WITH HER PARENTS SO THAT SHE COULD BE HERE WITH **_YOU_**. AND WHAT DO YOU DO? YOU WRITE US A BLOODY LETTER SAYING YOU AREN'T COMING AT ALL. A LETTER, WHICH I MIGHT ADD, DOESN'T EVEN SAY **_WHY_**.

NOW ALL OF US ARE STUCK AT HEADQUARTERS FOR THE ENTIRE SUMMER WHILE YOU ARE DOING GOODNESS KNOWS WHAT.

MUM IS CRAZY WITH WORRY ABOUT YOU AND I CONSTANTLY FIND HER CRYING WHEN SHE THINKS NO ONE IS LOOKING. IT DOESN'T HELP THAT NONE OF US HAVE ANY IDEA HOW YOU REALLY ARE AS YOU NEVER BOTHER TO WRITE TO US. ONE LOUSY LETTER! THAT'S ALL YOU SENT US SO FAR. WHAT'S THE MATTER? THE FAMOUS HARRY POTTER TOO BUSY TO WRITE TO US ANYMORE?

YOU HAD BETTER HAVE A BLOODY GOOD REASON FOR NOT COMING, POTTER. I SWEAR IF IT IS SOME STUPID, SILLY REASON I'M GOING TO BAT BOGEY HEX YOU INTO THE NEXT WEEK.

LISTEN UP, POTTER, AND LISTEN GOOD. YOU HAD BETTER SIT THAT ARSE OF YOURS DOWN AND WRITE MUM A NICE LONG LETTER. I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR BROODING.

Harry was shell shocked as Ginny's voice faded away. He was sure the entire street had heard that._ He was sooo dead!_

Ginny Weasley had sent him a Howler. _A Howler!_ Here, to Privet Drive!

Right on cue an outraged screech came from outside his door. "You freak! _Entire_ _street heard_… Oh, my God! What will they think? You are going to pay for that…"

Aunt Petunia had evidently raced up the steps in record speed and was gasping as she tried to catch her breath and scream at the same time.

Harry suddenly felt the ring on his finger warm up and as he saw his bedroom door open he grabbed his wand and hastily yelled, "Activate, _Activate!_"

The last thing he saw was the livid face of his Aunt, who was angrily swinging a large frying pan at his head, before he felt the pull behind his navel and was whisked away to Hogwarts.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry landed in Dumbledore's office awkwardly and just managed to gain his balance by grabbing onto a chair. He looked up to find Dumbledore regarding him worriedly.

He realized he must look quite the sight. Robes half on… hair disheveled and a stunned look on his face.

"Is something wrong, Harry?" Dumbledore asked finally.

Harry gaped at Dumbledore like a goldfish. He was still trying to get over what had happened in such a short span of time.

"I…they…she sent… erm… no, nothing," Harry said with a weak, watery smile. He might be angry at Ginny but he wasn't going to tell on her to Dumbledore. Though, he planned on writing her a very scathing letter when he got back. _If Aunt Petunia left him alive to do so._

He hastily pulled his robes on right and ran a hand through his hair. It didn't help much, but his hair was usually in this state anyway.

Dumbledore smiled at him, his eyes twinkling. Harry wondered whether he had guessed something. You could never tell with Dumbledore. He always seemed to know everything.

"Right, Harry, as you know, your first lesson is Occlumency."

Harry nodded unhappily. _'Great, first the Howler and now Snape! Kill me now, please.' _The morningwas steadily going downthe drain

"Ok, let's begin," Dumbledore said motioning Harry to a chair.

"Begin?" Harry said blankly. "But where is Snape?"

"_Professor_ Snape, Harry, and he will not be teaching you. You will be learning it from me."

Harry's bad mood immediately vanished. "_Really?_ But I thought… last year you said that Voldemort could use me to get to you. You said it was too risky for you to teach me."

"Yes, Harry, but I have realized that it is a risk that I have to take. You learning Occlumency quickly is of the highest priority and you are obviously finding it difficult to learn from Professor Snape," Dumbledore explained. "You see, now that you know the prophecy your mind must be protected from invasion at all cost. Voldemort will try his best to gain the knowledge."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Professor. I will try my best to learn quickly."

"All right, Harry, now do you know what Occlumency is?" Dumbledore asked.

"Err… It's the mental defenses you put up to prevent anybody from invading your mind?" Harry said hesitantly.

"Very good, Harry," Dumbledore beamed. "But putting up mental defenses is only part of Occlumency. A master Leglimens will be able to enter your mind without you even realizing it. If you do not realize that your mind is being invaded you cannot possibly put up any defenses."

Harry nodded dazed. Why had Snape never told him all of this? It was true that he hadn't even realized that Voldemort had been in his mind and planting images all of last year.

"Also, you will need to organize your mind." At Harry's blank look Dumbledore explained.

"You see, Harry, think of your mind as a filing cabinet for a moment. If you have everything organized you can easily find what file you want. Also you will be able to fit in many more files than if the files were disorganized. It is similar with your mind. When your mind is organized you think more clearly. For instance supposing I were to use a jelly–legs jinx on you. You would be able to recall the counter curse much more easily if you knew where the memory of the counter curse was stored. In duels where you need to think on your feet, and react instantly to a spell thrown at you, it is vital that you recall all this knowledge almost instantly."

Harry ran his fingers through his hair trying to grasp what Dumbledore was saying. It seemed simple enough but he had a feeling that putting it to practice would be another matter entirely.

"Also, when you get your thoughts organized, you will find it easier to realize an alien thought or presence in your mind, as it will immediately stand out. But getting your thoughts organized is only part of the task. The next part would be separating the thoughts and memories that you want to hide from possible intruders into your mind from everyday, normal thoughts."

Dumbledore paused to take a breath before he continued.

"This next part is where it gets tricky. Many people aren't able to achieve it, but I am certain that you will be able to do so. You see, it is possible to wall off a tiny part of your mind where you can store the thoughts that you really need to keep secret, sort of a wall within a wall. So supposing I were to invade your mind looking for some knowledge that I wanted, you could either block me outright or let me in through the outer walls and feed me false information, leading me to believe that I have found what I have been looking for, and was successful in breaching your mind," Dumbledore went on.

Harry's eyes went wide. It seemed quite difficult. He had thought that all there was to Occlumency was clearing your mind and blocking a person out with mental shields.

"Where do we start, Professor?" Harry finally asked. It seemed a lot to learn in so short a time. He felt that it would be very unlikely for him to achieve all of this in just the summer holidays.

"We will start, Harry, with you learning to recognize when your mind is being invaded," Dumbledore said gently. He could see that Harry was overwhelmed at the amount of work ahead of him if he wanted to master this skill.

Harry nodded and they began. A moment later Dumbledore waved his wand and whispered '_Leglimens.'_

The incantation was done more for Harry's benefit as Dumbledore could do it equally well silently and wandlessly.

Harry didn't feel anything. A second later he found that Dumbledore was past his mental shields and had access to all his memories. He immediately withdrew.

Harry realized that he had only felt Dumbledore when he did because he had wanted Harry to feel him. He could just as well have taken the information he wanted and left without him ever realizing it.

"I didn't even feel that, Professor," Harry said in dismay. "How will I be able to block it?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Patience, Harry. Atlantis wasn't built in a day. At first it will be difficult. You must learn to relax and attune all your senses. Also it will be better when you sort your memories and begin to build your mental defenses."

Harry nodded warily. Somehow he didn't share Dumbledore's optimism. Occlumency had been difficult for him from the start. But perhaps with Dumbledore teaching him…

"Ok, now close your eyes."

Harry obediently closed his eyes.

"Now relax, don't listen to my voice, and just concentrate on clearing your mind."

Harry relaxed his mind using the exercise that Roger had taught him. He slowly began to block out all his senses until he could feel his mind clear.

He suddenly felt the faintest of tickling sensations in his head and opened his eyes in a flash.

"I felt it," Harry said excitedly. "It was very faint, and I probably would never have felt it if it wasn't for the meditation, but I _definitely_ felt it."

Dumbledore smiled. "Very good, Harry, you are progressing faster than even I had expected."

The next half an hour was spent in repeating the same exercise and by the end of it the faint sensation of Dumbledore invading his mind was increased slightly so that Harry could sense him a bit better. But it was still very difficult.

Dumbledore was a master Leglimens. Probably one of the best, if not the best in the world. His presence in Harry's mind was unbelievably gentle – like a light caress. It was almost impossible to detect him. He had a feeling that Voldemort would be the same. Snape on the other hand had made it feel like he had been using a tank to ram down Harry's mental defenses.

The more Harry thought of it the more certain he became that Snape had not really taught him properly. He had just given Harry the vaguest idea about Occlumency and used the sessions to try and put him down and abuse his mind. He had relished Harry's discomfort and embarrassment.

"You should be proud of yourself, Harry. You made a lot of progress today," Dumbledore beamed at him. "Now just remember. Try and clear your mind and increase your awareness of things around you. It will help you develop your sensing ability."

"I will, Professor," Harry said with a satisfied smile. He had leant more in a single session with Dumbledore than all the lessons he had with Snape the past year. Maybe, just maybe, he could master Occlumency after all.

"Ok, Harry, I believe that your next lesson is Transfiguration with Prof. McGonagall. She will be waiting for you in her office. Run along now, she hates to be kept waiting."

Harry got up quickly. "Thank you, Professor. I'll see you later," Harry said as he exited Dumbledore's office.

**OoOoOoO**

Ginny Weasley was sitting on her bed looking morose. Why had she done it? She had actually gone and sent a Howler to Harry without ever thinking of the consequences.

She knew that he wasn't to blame and it must have been something important for him not to come over to spend the summer. She also knew how much he hated his muggle relatives and he wouldn't be having a very good time staying there the entire summer. But she had let her anger at seeing her Mum cry and disappointment at being stuck at Headquarters and not seeing him get the better of her, and now she knew that she was in all kinds of trouble.

She wondered what Harry would have made of the Howler. Would he be angry? She knew that it must have definitely shocked him and suddenly, even though she was sorry she had sent it, she couldn't help giggling while thinking of a shell shocked Harry receiving the Howler.

She sighed. It was just so boring staying here. At the Burrow at least one could go out and take a walk or play a bit of Quidditch or even take a dip in the pond. There was absolutely _nothing _to do here except worry about Harry.

And they were worried. She, Ron and Hermione had endless discussions about how Harry must be faring. Whether he was still blaming himself… Whether he was eating properly… Were the nightmares bothering him? What was this training that he was doing? Why the _hell_ wasn't he writing more letters to them?

All three of them knew that it was a bad situation. Leaving Harry to brood alone for the entire holiday was suicidal. Goodness knows what frame of mind he would be in when they finally met him.

Last year, when they had left him alone and without news for the few weeks that he was at the Dursleys he had gotten all surly and angry, something that all of them had to bear for the entire year.

But they knew that the hardest hit was always Harry. He might be angry and moody but that was just because he was hurting like hell and he just didn't know how to deal with it. She guessed that if she had his burdens and Voldemort was after her she would be pretty angry and moody too. It didn't help that he was treated like this kid who didn't need to know anything.

She privately thought that Dumbledore and the Order were all barmy. Harry was anything but a kid. And since it was him Voldemort was after the least they could do was _tell_ him what the hell was going on.

Was there any one year where his life wasn't in danger? All his years at Hogwarts had been pretty bad. He had been pit against everything from Basilisks and Dragons to Acromantulas and Blast-ended skrewts. And, of course, You-know-who made frequent entrances in the whole picture.

She knew that Sirius' death had been a terrible blow to Harry. It had almost been like losing his parents all over again. It seemed like the fates themselves were against him.

She could probably understand what Harry was going through better than most people. After her first year she had been constantly plagued with nightmares, horrible nightmares. They had gradually gone away but she could still feel the terror that they had inspired in her. She had acutely felt the guilt of being responsible for the many students that had been petrified. She had known that it wasn't really her fault, that she had been used by You-know-who. But the guilt had still been there, eating away at her and nothing could take it away.

The experience had scarred her badly and she had been slow to heal. She still couldn't bring herself to keep a diary. She could only imagine what it must be like for Harry. How did he cope with it? How did he manage to keep from breaking under the pressure?

She felt even worse now for sending the Howler. It had to be the worst possible timing to do something so stupid.

She got up slowly and walked to the tiny desk and pulled a parchment and quill towards her. She had better write to Harry to apologize.

It was going to be a loooong summer!

**OoOoOoO**

Harry knocked on the door to McGonagall's office and waited.

"Come in, Potter," McGonagall's voice drifted out.

Harry opened the door and entered. "Good morning, Professor," Harry said smiling at his Head of House. "Are you feeling better yet?"

"Good morning, Potter, and yes, I'm perfectly fine now."

Harry nodded. "I want to thank you for taking the time to teach me during the summer, Professor. I really appreciate it and I will try my best for you."

"I will expect no less from you, Potter," Prof McGonagall said giving him a rare smile.

"Take a seat, Potter. We have a lot to accomplish this summer and you will need to really apply yourself to learn. You aren't very adept in Transfiguration as yet, and you will need to change that. We will be attempting Conjuration and Animagus transformations later on in the summer and both of them are very difficult and you will need to be NEWT level in proficiency before we can even attempt to try them."

Harry nodded. "I will apply myself," he said firmly.

"Very well, Harry, let's start then."

They spent the rest of the lesson reviewing all they had learnt during the previous five years. Then McGonagall conjured him a large rock and asked him to transfigure it into a dog. Harry didn't have any luck at first and was only able to make it grow a tail and a little fur.

He grew frustrated at his inability to transfigure it.

'_Think, Potter, think. You must be doing something wrong. You can do this… just concentrate.'_

He closed his eyes and reviewed all that McGonagall had taught him. It was a particularly difficult task as he had to transfigure an inanimate object into a living creature. Also a dog was a fairly large creature, and it would take more concentration and power than say a toad or a mouse.

Harry looked at the rock and slowly blocked out all his other senses leaving him immune to distractions. He looked at the rock, visualizing a dog in its place. The details slowly fell into place as he concentrated. When he was sure he had got everything covered he waved his wand and said the incantation.

A second later he found a black Labrador looking up at him, its pink tongue hanging out of its mouth.

Harry grinned. He had done it!

"That was excellent, Potter. It is obvious that you can do better when you put your mind to it," McGonagall said, vanishing the dog with a flick of her wrist. "I think we can conclude our lesson for today with that. I expect you to practice and read your textbooks before your next lesson. Also I want a three foot long essay on the theory of Transfigurating objects into live creatures to be handed in to me before our next lesson."

Harry groaned inwardly. "All right, Professor."

"Ok, now tell me, Potter, are you still serious about becoming an Auror?" McGonagall asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes, but I don't know if I will make it into Potions."

McGonagall looked at him thoughtfully. "I had promised to help you become an Auror, Potter. And I shall do so. I will talk to Professor Snape into letting you into Potions and if he refuses I will teach you myself. But that is _only_ if you study during the summer. I expect you to be able to make all the potions that you learnt last year perfectly if I am to even consider doing this for you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Professor, I have brought a few books to study during the summer and I had planned on improving my Potion making skills anyway," Harry offered hesitantly.

"Hmm…very well. I will make a list of what I wish you to accomplish before the end of summer in Potions and give it to you during our next lesson. Now off with you, Professor Flitwick is waiting for you in the Charms classroom."

As Harry left McGonagall's office he suddenly felt that it was going to be a very busy summer.

**OoOoOoO**

Charms was much easier for Harry than Occlumency and Transfiguration as he was pretty decent in the subject. After half an hour, where they spent reviewing all that Harry had learnt over the years in Charms, Flitwick taught Harry a few of the hexes and curses that he had read about in the book Dumbledore had sent him.

These needed a lot of concentration and power behind them and Harry had to push himself to cast many of them. But bar a few really difficult ones he managed to cast most of them successfully. Flitwick was most pleased with him.

By the end of the lesson Harry was very satisfied with the progress he had made during the day.

As he got ready to take the Portkey back to Privet drive he started feeling anxious as to what sort of reception he would get from Aunt Petunia. It wasn't something he was looking forward to, and just thinking of the scene she was going to make and all the screaming and insults he would have to endure from her gave him a headache.

Sure enough he had hardly landed back in his bedroom when he heard a loud squeal.

"Mum, Dad, he's back. The freak's back!"

There were loud footsteps of two people thundering up the steps.

Harry sighed as he saw his Uncle Vernon come galumphing into the room, mustache all quivering and face purple with anger. He was followed by his Aunt Petunia whose mouth was pursed in anger, her eyes flashing angrily.

"BOY, I told you I don't want any of your freakish behavior in this house. What have you done to this room? And what was that creature in the room? I WILL NOT HAVE SUCH FREAKISH CREATURES IN MY HOUSE," Uncle Vernon roared.

"You hooligan! Do you know that the entire street was talking about the screaming in your room today? They were all looking at us and… and _whispering_," Aunt Petunia snarled.

Dudley was standing behind his parents, a pleased grin on his fat face at seeing get Harry yelled at.

"You will pay for this boy. I'm going to lock you in that cupboard for the rest of the summer. Or until your freakish friends come to get you," Uncle Vernon said moving forward menacingly.

He was halted by Harry's wand pointing straight between his eyes.

Uncle Vernon stopped a moment, his eyes widening and fear showing in his mean little eyes.

"You can't fool me boy, I know you aren't allowed to do that stuff in here," Uncle Vernon said with a nasty grin as he advanced forward. "And just for _that_ you are going to go without any food for a week."

Harry sighed. He didn't want to do this, but it couldn't be helped.

"_Petrificus Totalus."_

The spell hit Uncle Vernon and his hands and feet snapped together and he toppled over, a look of shock on his face.

"Listen, and listen well, because I am _not_ going to repeat this," Harry snarled. "As you can see, I _can_ do magic."

At the word 'magic' both Aunt Petunia and Dudley flinched. Both were already shocked at him petrifying Uncle Vernon.

"Now, I did not do this to the room, my Headmaster, Prof. Dumbledore did it. The 'creature', as you call him, is a house elf and he is here on Prof. Dumbledore's orders and so he will stay."

He looked at his Aunt for a second and went on. "You, Aunt Petunia, know very well that the Howler which arrived today could not have been stopped by me. I will make sure it doesn't happen again, though. But if you think that you are going to keep me locked in a cupboard because of it you can think again."

Petunia Dursley shook her head in anger as if denying that she knew any such thing.

"Oh, get off it," Harry snarled. "Just because you choose to ignore things doesn't mean that they don't exist. I suspect you know more than you let on about the magical world."

Aunt Petunia looked at him like he had uttered a swear word at his saying 'magical world.'

Harry gritted his teeth. "MAGIC, MAGICAL, BROOMSTICK, WITCH, WIZARD, WAND," he roared enjoying the look of horror on Aunt Petunia's face.

"You ungrateful monster!" Aunt Petunia screeched. "We raised you, fed you, clothed you and you dare stand there and attack us and talk to us like that."

"Clothed me? Fed me?" Harry said coldly. "You fed me only enough so that I could survive without dying of hunger. And as for clothes, all my clothes were either those that Dudley grew out of or ones that he would refuse to wear. You made me sleep in a filthy cupboard under the stairs for ten years. For ten years you made me do all the work around the house. So don't you _dare_ tell me you did me any favour. I earned my keep in this house."

He flicked his wand at his prone Uncle and lifted the spell off him.

Uncle Vernon scrambled to his feet and moved back from his wand wielding nephew.

"Don't you ever dare to try and hit me again. Next time I won't just use a petrifying spell," Harry said warningly.

"That's it, boy," Uncle Vernon said furiously. He looked like he was going to explode with anger. "Take your stuff and get out of this house now. Don't ever darken our doorstep again."

Harry looked at his Aunt for her reaction and when she didn't say anything he looked at his Uncle calmly. "Very well, my new friends told me I could stay with them if anything like this ever happened," Harry said casually. "I guess I will have to stay with _them_ for the rest of the summer."

"New friends? What new friends?" Uncle Vernon asked in panic.

"You don't mean to say you're going to stay with those three boys that came to meet you," Aunt Petunia squeaked.

"Why, yes, I had forgotten you had met them," Harry said hiding his grin.

"But… but… they aren't _your_ kind. They're _normal,_ like us," Aunt Petunia protested.

"Yes, I do believe they are," Harry said going over to his trunk and making a show of packing. "But they seem reasonable enough and I'm sure they will understand if I tell them the _truth_."

"Boy, you are not to go to them. Go and stay with those red headed freaks that come to get you every summer," Uncle Vernon said angrily. "We will not have anybody living nearby know about your freakishness."

Harry looked at him coldly, his eyebrow arched. "I was under the impression that you threw me out of the house. What I do now is none of your business."

"Of all the ungrateful…"Petunia Dursley began.

"Save it," Harry said cutting her off. "I don't want to hear any of it. One more insult from any of you and I'll put silencing charms on all of you."

Harry went back to his packing while keeping an ear on the hasty discussion taking place between the Dursleys.

"Listen here, boy, we have changed our mind…" Uncle Vernon said finally. He spoke through gritted teeth and Harry knew that he was making a gigantic effort to keep his temper in check.

"You can stay here provided you change the room back to the way it was and make sure that the creature doesn't come back and _nothing_ like today morning's incident ever happens again."

"I'll make sure that this morning's incident is never repeated," Harry said slowly, as if considering his offer. "As for the room and the house-elf, I can't make it go away. As I told you my Headmaster is responsible for both of them and only he can undo it. But I will make sure that Dobby won't be seen by anyone. Also, I will make sure that I stay in my room when I am in the house so that we won't have to tolerate each other. You don't even have to feed me."

Uncle Vernon considered this and finally nodded his head. "And listen up boy, if you ever use that _thing_ of yours in my house, or on any of my family members again, I will take my rifle and shoot you. I have had just about enough of your nonsense."

Harry nodded. "Very well, I'll keep that in mind Uncle Vernon," he said wearily.

After the Dursleys left Harry looked around and softly called. "Dobby, are you here?"

Dobby appeared with a crack. "Dobby is here, Harry Potter," he said looking up at Harry through wide eyes.

"Sorry for leaving you like that in the morning, Dobby," Harry said guiltily. "I guess you heard everything they said?"

"Dobby heard everything. Harry Potter did well to escape this morning. The bad woman looked very angry and would have harmed him."

"I know, but I was worried that she would harm _you_," Harry said, still feeling bad that he had left Dobby to face his angry Aunt while he had escaped.

"Dobby was in no danger, Harry Potter," Dobby said, as if this was perfectly obvious. "Dobby made himself invisible as soon as Harry Potter left. The bad woman couldn't find Dobby."

Harry grinned. "That's good to hear, Dobby. Now could you get me some Pumpkin juice while I write a write a letter to a _friend_ of mine?"

"Yes, Harry Potter, Dobby will get it right away," Dobby said as he vanished with a crack.

Harry headed over to his desk and pulling a piece of parchment out began to write to Ginny.

_Ginny,_

_I can't tell you how pleased I was to receive your letter this morning. It was just what I needed. But it was a bit understated. It was only heard by the whole street. Next time why don't you send one that is heard all the way to London? Maybe then instead of a frying pan, my Aunt would have come after me with a machine gun. Ah! You really know how to put my Relatives, who love me sooo much, by the way, in a good mood. _

_I am inferring from your pleasant letter that you seem to think that I am having a roaring great time over here. Yeah, it's all one big party. Why would I ever want to come and visit with you'll at Headquarters when it is obviously so good for me here? _

_Ok, I'm done being sarcastic. Please don't ever do that again, Ginny. Next time you are angry at me just send me some Bubouter Pus or one of the twin's nastier pranks. I have a very good reason for not coming to visit. The reason I haven't told you guys anything is because I wanted to tell you in person and I didn't want the information to fall in the wrong hands if the owls are being intercepted._

_As for your Mother, I have a very good idea that she knows everything, as Dumbledore has had a chat with her about my not coming over. So I thought that there wasn't any need to tell her anything in a letter._

_I know I haven't been answering letters but I was just a bit preoccupied. I will try and write more often. And I think at least you would understand, Ginny, that me being famous had nothing to do with me not writing to you all. Is that really what you think of me? That I have let fame get to my head?_

_I am sorry that you guys are stuck at the Headquarters for the summer. Tell Hermione I'm really sorry about her missing out her holiday. Look, I didn't really plan any of this, OK? It's not like anybody told me what was planned for me. They just tell me that I am due to leave a day before they arrive to pick me up. How am I supposed to plan any of this? _

_Maybe you can try talking to Dumbledore into letting you all shift back to the Burrow. But please, if it is unsafe, don't go back. It is not worth it to risk your lives just so that you can ease your boredom. _

_I hope this letter will make you a little bit less angry at me. I am very sorry to cause such problems for you and it was not my intention at all. _

_Harry._

He tied the letter to Hedwig's leg and sighed in frustration as he watched her take off. _What a mess._

**OoOoOoO**

Jack arrived promptly at six and Harry went down to meet him. The Dursleys shot him nasty looks and it looked for a second like Uncle Vernon was about to prevent him from going out.

"Wow!" Jack exclaimed when Harry followed him to the car. "If looks could kill we both would be dead by now. Were they giving you a hard time again?"

"It's the usual," Harry said waving it away. "What would worry me is if they _weren't_ behaving like this."

Jack grimaced. "Damn! It makes me have a whole new appreciation of my family."

Harry shook his head sadly. "Yeah, sometimes I think I would sell my soul itself, to just have a few months with my parents. To be able to live like a normal person."

Jack slapped him on his back. "Cheer up, mate. It won't last forever, you know. Soon you'll be able to leave here and one day you'll have your own family who will care for you."

"I would like to believe that, Jack. It is the only thought that keeps me sane," Harry replied quietly.

They soon reached Sean's house which was only a few streets away.

Sean met them at the door and led both of them up to his room where Alan was already sitting.

Sean's room was a typical boy's room. Clothes and comics and magazines were strewn all around messily. There was a large stereo system blaring in a corner and a video game was plugged into a small television. There was a sleek computer in a corner of the room and currently Alan was currently browsing some web sites on the net on it.

"Hi Harry," Alan said over his shoulder before he went back to his browsing.

"Um… Hello," Harry said bemusedly as he took in his surroundings.

"It's a bit messy right now," Sean said with a grin.

"Right now?" Alan snorted. "It _always_ looks like that."

Harry grinned. "It's brilliant."

"Hey, Harry, what would you like to drink?" Sean asked ignoring Alan.

"Nothing, you don't need to go to any trouble…"

"Oh put a lid on it, Harry. You're too formal. It's no trouble at all," Sean said impatiently.

"Well, all right," Harry said. "Anything would do, I guess."

Sean nodded and disappeared downstairs to get his drink.

"Have a seat, Harry," Jack said sitting down by Sean's bed and flipping on the television.

Harry walked over and sat down by him and watched Jack flip through the channels.

"Arghhh! Nothing's on," Jack exclaimed switching off the TV. "Do you want to watch something, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "No, not really."

"Maybe we can watch a film later on. Sean has a good selection," Alan said as he switched off the computer.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Do you have any particular favorites, Harry?" Jack asked lazily.

"Erm… not really… the thing is… I haven't ever actually seen any film. My Aunt and Uncle always thought that they might put weird ideas in my head. But I'm sure anything you pick will be fine," Harry finished awkwardly.

Jack and Alan stared at him.

"Well, what do you like to do in your free time then?" Alan asked finally.

Harry considered it for a second. He couldn't tell them about Quidditch or Exploding Snap or even Gobstones. "Well, I like to play chess," he offered.

"Really?" Alan said excitedly. "That's great. I love playing chess too, but I can never find anyone to play with. These two gits don't like to play."

Harry smiled. "Well, I'll play with you if you want. But I'm not too good at it."

They were interrupted by Sean coming in with a glass of coke which he handed to Harry.

"So, what's the plan, guys?" he asked as he threw himself on his bed.

"Hmm… we thought of seeing a movie," Jack said.

"All right, which one?" Sean asked.

"Dunno, just pick one," Jack replied with a yawn.

"Hey, Pat is coming back tomorrow, isn't she?" Alan suddenly asked.

"Yeah, she'll meet us in Jack's house. Should be good fun," Sean replied.

They spent the rest of the evening watching Fists of Fury and had a great time seeing Bruce Lee in action.

"Maaaan… This guy is something else. Look at the way he moves," Jack said admiringly as the central character beat up a whole bunch of bad guys all by himself.

"Yeah, he almost reminds me of a cat. His moves just flow from him," Sean said in awe.

Harry watched the film with great interest. It wasn't a very good story but it was fun watching a mindless action flick with three other male friends. It gave him a great sense of pleasure to pretend for a few hours that he was just another sixteen year old having fun with his friends. Jack, Sean and Alan treated him very casually. To them he wasn't Harry Potter, the Boy-who-lived, defeater of Dark Lords and slayer of Basilisks. He was just plain Harry, an average teenager.

They couldn't ever replace Ron, Hermione and Ginny, or even Neville and Luna. But they gave him something that his other friends could not.

They gave him normalcy.

It wasn't that Ron and Hermione did not treat him like a normal person, or that they were his friends because of his fame or what he had done.

It was just that they had gone through so much with him and they knew him so well that they could read him like an open book. They would be constantly trying to cheer him up or try to get him to talk. And he didn't want that. He just wanted to be left alone to try and sort it out himself. He just wanted to be distracted for sometime and be able to pretend that everything was fine.

Yes, he was glad to have met Sean, Jack and Alan. They gave him a bit of distraction that he desperately craved.

**OoOoOoO**


	7. A Day Full of Surprises

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (06)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** Harry belongs to J.K. Rowling as do all the Canon characters. Sean, Jack and Alan belong to me. Sigh! I wish it was the other way around.

**OoOoOoO**

**A Day Full of Surprises**

**OoOoOoO**

Harry walked into his room, sweaty and tired from his morning run and took off his wet t-shirt, which was sticking uncomfortably to his body. He distractedly used it to mop his dripping face before realizing what he was doing. He threw away the t-shirt in disgust and grabbed a towel.

As he was mopping his face he saw a bedraggled owl lying unconscious on his desk.

"Oh my God, Errol!" Harry said rushing over and picking the exhausted Owl up. He carried Errol to Hedwig's cage and gently put him down in it. Then dipping his fingers into the water dish he sprinkled a few drops of water on the unconscious bird.

Errol opened his eyes slowly and moving his head forward took a deep gulp of water from the water dish that Harry had pushed forward.

"I reckon you had better rest a while before you attempt to fly back," Harry said looking worriedly at the bedraggled Owl. Why was he even delivering anything anymore? It was certainly obvious that he was past his prime.

Errol hooted thankfully at Harry and closed his eyes, promptly falling asleep.

Harry noticed that Errol was carrying a letter tied to his legs. He gently untied it trying not to wake the tired Owl up.

As he saw the handwriting on the envelope he stiffened. It was Ginny's beautiful, flowing handwriting. He didn't particularly want to read another of her letters if the contents were anything like the Howler.

He sighed and opened the letter. Might as well get it over with.

_Harry,_

_I am so, so sorry. I can't believe I went and did that. I hope your relatives didn't give you too hard a time. I always manage to do stupid things like that when I am angry. I guess Mum is right about my temper being out of control._

_I am also sorry for the other things I said. Of course I don't think that fame has gone to your head. I was just upset and said that to needle you._

_Look, Harry, I know that you are having a hard time. I also know that it was the worst possible time to pull the stunt that I did. But you have to understand that it is very hard for us to sit here and not know how you are doing. _

_We care for you a great deal and when you don't tell us what is going on we assume the worst. I can't tell you the amount of time we spend worrying about you. _

_It is so frustrating to know that you are all alone at a time like this and there is no way we can be there for you and share your pain. No one should be alone at a time like this. We try to write to you and when you don't reply it just gets so frustrating. I just lost it and sent you the Howler to try and get you to respond. Anything would be better than the silence from your side._

_We had thought that at the very least you would be over here with us soon enough and then the horrible tension around the house would be over. When you wrote to say you couldn't come it was just too much._

_Not much is going on around here except for the occasional Order meetings. Some good news is that Bill has asked to be transferred back home so that he can help out with the Order a bit more. But so far nothing has come of it. _

_Percy… well, what do I say about, Percy? The git hasn't apologized to Mum and Dad yet. I catch Mum crying because of him every now and then. Dad just goes awfully quiet when he hears his name. I sometimes wonder what went so wrong? What happened to him to change him so much?_

_Well, anyway, Amelia Bones – our new Minister – was really tired of him when he started following **her** around like he did Fudge. She was all for chucking him out of the Ministry. But I reckon Dad asked her not to. She agreed to keep him but wouldn't have him in any important position. So now he's cooling his heels in Centaur Liaisons. Serves the git right._

_Fred and George are busy with their shop but according to them business is slow. They say they expect it to pick up before start of school. They are at the shop most of the time so we hardly see them around either._

_Mum has me, Ron and Hermione cleaning the bloody house again. She is on a cooking spree. Mum always does that when she is upset or worried – she cooks. Order members are in and out of the house but we aren't being told much. We tried to use the Extendable ears to snoop in on a meeting but Mum caught us._

_My ears are still hurting from the yelling she gave us for that. _

_That's all the news for now I guess. Now you know as much as we do._

_Take care of yourself Harry. And do try to write longer letters. **'I'm fine'** doesn't mean a whole lot. _

_Love, Ginny. _

Harry grinned as he finished her letter, his bad mood with her evaporating completely.

His opinions on Ginny were rapidly changing. She had a good sense of humor, was clever, brave, had a fiery temper, and he knew that unlike others, she would pull no punches with him if she felt he was doing something wrong.

He respected that about her. Ron and Hermione let him get away with a lot of things when he was angry. He supposed that was because they cared so much for him that they were willing to bear his anger at times.

Last year he had really been very unfair to them, taking out all his anger on them and they had never said a word to him about it. But it was also good to have somebody who could give him a whack on the head at those times.

He was sad that Mrs. Weasley was still shedding tears over that moron Percy. He really didn't deserve to have her worry about him so much and he didn't deserve to still be loved by his parents.

Harry sighed. On one hand there was him, who craved even a single moment with his parents and who would do anything for it and yet he could never have it. On the other hand there was Percy, whose parents and family loved him so much and yet he behaved like such an ass.

Life just wasn't fair!

He was glad that Bill was trying to transfer back here. It might take Mrs. Weasley's mind off that stupid git for a while.

He wondered whether there was something somebody could do to hasten his transfer. Maybe Dumbledore could request it of the bank managers. But it was doubtful if Dumbledore would do so.

Then it suddenly struck him. Maybe there was something **_HE_ **could do.

He had never tried to use his fame to get favors or special treatment for himself. It was just too distasteful. But if using it meant that he could help Bill and the Order, it couldn't hurt to try. And he also knew that he was a very big customer of Gringotts, especially since he had been declared the Black and Potter heir.

He sat down at his desk and pulled a piece of parchment and a quill over to him and started thinking how to go about it. Letter writing was not one of his talents and so it took several tries for him to compose the letter to his satisfaction.

He finally ran critical eyes over the final draft.

_To the Manager, Gringotts Bank._

_Dear Sir,_

_I have recently come into possession of my full inheritance which makes me the heir of the Potter and Black fortunes. The investments, shares and properties are very vast and a lot of work will be needed to sort out the huge mess that they are in right now. _

_I was hoping that you could help me find someone to take care of it. I will, of course, be willing to pay the costs for such a service. _

_Also, once everything is sorted out, I would need someone to help me invest the money and handle the properties and shares. I would again be very happy to pay handsomely for such services._

_It is a pity that Bill Weasley is in Egypt at the moment, as he would have been perfect for such a task. He has a sound mind and is someone I could have trusted implicitly with my affairs._

_It is, of course, difficult to trust just anyone when so much money is at stake. I hope that in his absence you will be able to suggest to me someone who is nearly as good and dependable. _

_I hope to hear from you at the soonest. Everyday that passes is another lost opportunity for me as the money is just sitting there doing nothing. As they rightly say, 'Time is Money.'_

_With best regards,_

_Harry James Potter. _

He sighed. It looked good enough, and he didn't have any more time to try and write further drafts.

"Hedwig, are you there girl?" Harry called softly.

There was a flutter of wings and Hedwig landed on his shoulder. He felt her nip his ear playfully.

"Can you make a delivery for me?" Harry asked as he tied the envelope to her leg.

Hedwig hooted happily.

"Take it to the Head of Gringotts for me, will you?" Harry said stroking her feathers gently.

After Hedwig had left he sat back in his chair, well satisfied with himself. He had done what he could now it was left to see if his gambit worked. Goblins were known to be greedy and if they felt that there was a commission to be earned they just might transfer Bill.

**OoOoOoO**

"Ok, Harry, now remember go slow and concentrate on the movements," Sean said nervously.

They were both standing facing each other on the mat and in each of their hands was a long wooden staff. It was called the 'Jo staff' and was one of the first weapons that Harry was to train in.

"Don't worry so much, Sean," Harry snapped. "Your worrying makes _me_ nervous and then I lose concentration."

"Ok, ok, don't get your knickers in a twist," Sean said good naturedly. "All right, I'm ready when you are."

Harry moved forward to strike his opponent and Sean brought up his staff to deflect it. Harry again moved his staff executing a perfect sweeping move that aimed for Sean's legs.

Again Sean brought his staff down in perfect time to deflect the blow.

It went on like this, Harry attacking and Sean defending. Their moves looked like an elaborate prearranged dance. It was as if Harry was leading and Sean was following his moves. It was true in a sense, for when practicing Aikido the concept of Yin and Yang was used. It was a combination of two forces, one aggressive (male) and the other receptive (female), both combing to make a perfect whole.

"Ok, lets try and move the pace up a bit. By now you must have got the hang of it," Sean said nodding approvingly at Harry.

They started again, gradually increasing the speed of their moves. But it couldn't last long and soon Harry was going off his rhythm. Sean caught his staff hurriedly before it could hit his chin.

"Careful with that thing, Harry," Sean said breathlessly. "What's the matter? Your timing was a bit off."

"Dunno," Harry said disappointedly. "I made a mistake with executing the move I guess. It gets difficult when you increase the speed."

"Let's try again," Sean said consolingly. "You'll get it in time."

They started again their staffs moving through the air and clashing against each other in a flawless perfection. Harry's body moved smoothly and gracefully in the practiced technique. But when the pace was increased a bit of a tragedy befell.

"Owww!" Sean yelled as Harry's staff connected with his knee. HARD.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry Sean," Harry apologized. "I knew that the pace was too fast. I couldn't control the moves."

Sean knew that it would be bad for Harry's confidence if he yelled at him right now, like he very badly wanted to do. So he settled on muttering some very choice curses under his breath that would have made even Hagrid cringe.

"Again," Sean said weakly, looking like he wanted to do _anything_ but practice it again.

They began again and this time Harry set the pace and didn't let it go beyond a certain point. He was concentrating so hard that his moves started becoming stiffer and mechanical and began to lose their grace.

Roger was walking by at the moment and he stopped to watch them.

"No, Harry, you are doing it wrong. Your body is too stiff and you are concentrating too much on not making a mistake and it is affecting your form."

Harry ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Something or the other had to go wrong it seemed.

"Look, Harry," Roger said gently. "Don't think about the pace and stop thinking so much about whether you are doing it right. Your body knows the moves by now. Let yourself flow with your body and you'll do fine."

Roger took the staff from Sean and nodded. "All right, let's try it one more time," he said facing Harry.

They began slowly and Roger let Harry feel his way and build his rhythm.

"You set the pace, Harry. But remember, let your body dictate the pace and not your mind," Roger said as he effortlessly blocked Harry's staff.

Harry slowly built up the pace letting his body take over by instinct. He was unaware of his surroundings and unaware of anybody watching. He only was aware of the sound of wood on wood as the staffs collided.

Sean watched the scene in awe. Harry was looking very confident and his moves flowed like water and were flawless in precision. Maybe all he had needed was a boost in confidence.

"Good going, Harry. You seem to have got the hang of it," Roger said approvingly when they had finished. "You will only get better from here onwards."

"Thank you, Sensei," Harry said as he bowed from the waist to Roger.

Roger nodded and left Sean and Harry to continue their practice, which went without a hitch from there.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry was in his room pulling on a pair of jeans when a whistle from behind him made him jump.

"I never knew you had such a cute bum, Harry."

Harry whirled around and his jeans fell to his ankles as he reached for his wand which was lying nearby.

"Tonks! What the hell are you doing here?" Harry growled, as he saw who it was.

Tonks grinned at him. She was dressed in a pair of skintight, faded jeans, which were ripped at several places, showing tantalizing glimpses of her creamy, tanned skin. Over that she wore a tight purple t-shirt which advertised the 'Howling Hags.' Her hair today, was styled in a short and spiky look and was forest green in colour.

"Wotcher, Harry. Didn't Dumbledore tell you I would be picking you up today for your dueling training?"

"Y-y-yes, b-but…. But I didn't expect you for another _five_ minutes," Harry stammered in embarrassment.

Tonks put on a hurt look. "Do you mean you aren't glad to see me?"

"Um… well… that is… I am… but I'm getting..." Harry suddenly realized that his jeans were around his ankles and he was flashing Tonks his boxers and that he had no shirt on. _He was practically naked!_

"Tonks! Turn around right now," Harry yelled.

"What, and miss the show?" Tonks smirked, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"If you… I will… I'm going to… _Just turn around for Merlin's sake, Tonks,_" Harry shouted, going beet red.

"Oh, all right. I never thought you were such a prude," Tonks grumbled as she turned around.

"I am _not_ a prude," Harry said indignantly.

"Are too," Tonks sing songed.

"No, I'm not. How would you feel if I appeared in your bedroom to find you half naked?" Harry said angrily, as he pulled up his jeans and quickly fastened them.

Tonks turned around and cocked an eyebrow. "Getting ideas are we?" She purred suggestively.

It was nearly impossible for Harry to blush any more, but he did. At the moment his face looked like a ripe tomato. His mouth was wide open and he was spluttering incoherently.

Tonks took pity on him. "Relax, Harry, I was just joking."

Harry glared at her and quickly pulled on a sweatshirt over his jeans. He put on his watch and grabbed his wand.

"Ok, you can turn around now, I'm ready," Harry mumbled.

Tonks turned around and looked at him appreciatively. "Niiiice, a few good clothes do make a lot of difference. And I notice that you have been working out? Hmm?"

"Yeah, sort of," Harry said offhandedly. He was still irritated at being such an easy target for Tonks. He resolved to get his revenge on her for it.

"And what's this? Facial hair? Ickle Harrykins is growing up," Tonks said with a grin, her eyes crinkling up with mirth.

"Ok, _Nymphadora_," Harry snarled. "Where are we going? And how are we getting there?"

Tonks glared at Harry.

"What?" Harry asked innocently. "That's your name isn't it? _Nymphadora_ Tonks. Surely you aren't ashamed of it?"

"Yes, I believe it is," Tonks said sweetly. "But the last person who called me by that name found himself on the receiving end of a particularly nasty hex that caused boils to erupt all around his privates and backside. Poor guy couldn't find the counter curse for _two_ days."

Harry gulped. "S-s-so Tonks, where are we going and how are we getting there?"

"We are taking a Portkey to get there. As to where we are going you'll see in a moment," Tonks said holding out a small wooden stick for Harry to touch.

She hid a grin. Harry was _too_ easy to tease and it would be fun to needle him. And maybe it would take his mind of Sirius and You-Know-Who for a little while.

She looked to make sure that Harry had a grip on the stick and softly said. "Activate."

Harry felt a jerk behind his navel and felt himself pulled forward, flying through the air. The next moment he landed awkwardly on his feet. He looked over at Tonks and found her lying flat on the ground, having fallen over when they landed.

Harry looked up to find a large, handsome black man standing before him. His head was shaved and there was a large gold hoop in his ear.

"Welcome, Harry, to Auror Headquarters," Kingsley Shacklebolt said warmly as he shook Harry's hand.

"TONKS!!! How you became an Auror is _beyond_ me. Every time you take a Portkey or floo you fall over. What if Death Eaters were around?" a voice roared angrily from behind Kingsley.

Harry looked around to find Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody limping towards them.

"Hiya, Mad-Eye," Tonks said cheerfully as she scrambled to her feet. "Death Eaters would hardly be here at Auror Headquarters now, would they?"

"That's not the point," Moody growled. "You are clumsy _all_ the time, not just now, and someday it is going to get you killed."

Kingsley laughed. "If I know her she'll probably trip over her shoelaces just as a Killing curse is thrown at her. Her luck and clumsiness go hand in hand."

While this was going on Harry was looking around fascinatedly.

The room they were standing in was huge. There was a gigantic fireplace towards the right from which a constant stream of people were flooing in and out.

The wall in front of him had a huge map of England on it. Red, Blue and Green dots were flashing on the map and Aurors were looking at the map before apparating out to their destinations.

There were innumerable charts, memos and notices hanging from the walls in a highly disorganized mess. On the wall behind him was a large board on which hundreds of photographs were pinned. The photographs had small notes stuck to each one of them, giving the name, aliases and last known address of the person whose photo it was.

Harry realized that this was a wanted board and all the photographs were of criminals.

Large couches and comfortable armchairs were strewn all around the room and many Aurors were relaxing or catching a nap on them.

In a corner of the room, large shelves were built running the length of the wall. The shelves were stocked with sets of Dragon hide armor, wand holsters, weapons and spare wands, ready to be used by the Aurors in a moments notice in case they were called out to battle.

Near the racks stood a gigantic brass coffee urn to dispense coffee to the busy Aurors. The Aurors had to work long hours and were all addicted to coffee.

The whole place was a beehive of activity as Aurors bustled about doing their jobs and Harry felt a bit out of place in the crowd.

"So, Harry, what do you think of Headquarters?" Tonks asked turning to him.

Harry turned to look at her. "Wow! You mean I'm going to be training here with you?"

"Oh, you are going to be training here all right, laddie," Moody growled. "But Tonks isn't the only one going to be teaching you. Heaven help you if she was."

"What he means, Harry," Kingsley said, taking pity at Harry's puzzled expression. "Is that most Aurors can be called on duty anytime so you will be training with whoever is free at that moment. Also, Mad-Eye and me will be working with you when we have the time."

Harry grinned. "Cool, I'm going to be training with actual Aurors!"

Kingsley smiled at his enthusiasm. "Tonks, why don't you take Harry over and introduce him to some of the people who are going to be working with him."

Tonks nodded. "Sure, come on, stud. Let's go mingle with the working folk."

Tonks led a very nervous Harry over to where the Aurors were seated.

"Hey guys, I want you to meet Harry Potter," Tonks said stopping in front of a young man and woman of about Tonks age. They both had dark brown hair and light blue eyes and their facial features were very similar.

"Harry, these are Michael and Michelle Adams, they're twins."

"Hello, Harry, we've heard so much about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Michelle said pleasantly.

Harry shyly shook both their hands. "Thank you. It's very nice to meet you too."

They moved on and Tonks whispered confidentially to Harry. "They are very close to each other and have always done everything together… well not _everything_… But you know what I mean. They were in the same house, took similar classes, and went to the Auror academy together, and now they are partners, hell they even go on their dates together sometimes."

Harry nodded wondering what he was supposed to say.

Next they stopped in front of two men sitting together deep in discussion. One of them was tall and slim, with curly blond hair and the second was of medium height and stockier build. "These two are Joseph Rosenbaum and Henry Kirkner." She said pointing at the blond and his partner as she said their names. "Joseph, Henry, meet Harry Potter."

The two of them sat up straight at hearing Harry's name.

"Hello," Joseph said shaking his hand. "Please, call me Joe."

Harry greeted the two Aurors and they moved on.

"Both of them are partners and are quite nice people. But Joe considers himself somewhat of a ladies man and can be a nuisance at times," Tonks whispered.

Next Tonks introduced him to Edna Andrews and Julian Wilkins. They too were partners.

"They are dating each other but both pretend that they're just friends," Tonks whispered as they walked on. "Don't know why they bother, as everyone knows otherwise anyway."

Tonks introduced him to most of the people who were present in the room and after each introduction there was that bit of extra information about them. Harry realized that Tonks was a bit of a gossip and she didn't actually expect him to say anything to her comments.

When they had done the rounds of the room Tonks led him through a large set of doors that led them into the training center of the Aurors.

A whole corner of the large room was set aside as a gym, where treadmills, exercise bikes and rowing machines were set up. Alongside them were several weight training machines and dumbbells and barbells.

Apparently the Aurors took their physical fitness _very_ seriously.

A huge raised platform ran throughout the rest of the room and several people were dueling on it.

Tonks introduced Harry to the Aurors practicing dueling and they greeted him enthusiastically.

"Come on, Harry, let's see what you are made of," Tonks said leading Harry over to a corner.

"You mean you want to duel me?" Harry asked in amazement.

"Only way to learn," Tonks shrugged as she drew her wand and faced him.

Harry nodded and drew his own wand. As he bowed to Tonks he had the feeling of several eyes stopping to watch them. They were all interested to see how the famous Harry Potter would hold up against Tonks.

Tonks started the offensive and sent a quick stunner at Harry.

It would have hit him had it not been for his reflexes honed by years of Quidditch and the D.A meetings. Also, the Aikido training had helped him immensely.

He managed to dodge the stunner and pointing his wand at Tonks yelled _'Expelliarmus.'_

Tonks dodged it easily and sent another stunner at Harry.

Harry saw it come at him and quickly shouted _'Protego.'_ The shield came up just in time and deflected the stunner back at Tonks.

Suddenly, Harry lost his nervousness and forgot the people watching him. This was something he could do. Something he was good at. Didn't he lead the D. A. for an entire year? Hadn't he dueled with Death Eaters?

The duel went on and curses flew thick and fast between the two of them. Harry wasn't on the defensive anymore and he was giving as good as he got. He began to use some of the more powerful curses he had learnt from Flitwick and Tonks looked like she was having difficulty blocking some of them.

But it couldn't last forever. Tonks was an Auror, and had trained under the best and she was _very_ good. Years of training had honed her reactions and she knew far more spells and hexes than Harry.

Harry finally fell to a well aimed Body Bind curse after ten minutes of furious dueling.

Tonks walked over to perform the counter curse and helped him up to his feet.

As Harry got up he was stunned to hear loud clapping. He turned around to see the room chock full with Aurors all of whom were clapping at his performance.

He noticed both Kingsley and Mad-Eye standing by the door watching him. Kingsley had a broad smile on his face but Mad-Eye's face was unreadable.

"That was very good, Harry," Kingsley said walking forward. "Tonks, for all her clumsiness, is an excellent dueler, and that you could last so long against her is very impressive."

Harry bowed his head shyly at Kingsley's words. But he couldn't help but feel a little pleased at the praise.

Tonks slapped him on the back. "That's right, stud. I didn't know you were so good. Who taught you how to duel?"

Harry shrugged. "I learnt on my own. We practiced a lot last year in the D. A. meetings and I guess I picked up a few things."

"Looks like you picked up more than a few things, lad," Moody growled. "But it isn't enough. You need to be better, far better. Because when you duel Death Eaters they will be using killing curses and if that hits you you'll not just be stunned or petrified."

"Oh, come on, Mad-Eye," Tonks said angrily. "He'll learn with time. There's no need to be so morbid."

"No, you're right, Prof. Moody," Harry said slowly. "I do need to learn, and I need to learn now. Voldemort isn't going to sit back and give me my own sweet time to get ready."

As Harry said the Dark Lord's name there were soft gasps throughout the room and Harry's heart sank as he heard them. '_The Aurors are afraid to even say his name. How can we ever hope to defeat him?' _

The rest of the afternoon was spent with the Aurors who taught him how to duel and corrected the flaws in his technique. They also taught him a few advanced hexes and gave him small tips that would be useful to him while dueling.

Harry was a quick learner and by the end of two hours he found that dueling was coming much more naturally to him.

Tonks and he dueled again towards the end, with the same result. But he managed to last a bit longer and she had a bit of a close shave when Harry sent a tripping hex at her feet and she fell down hard. But she managed to get back on her feet very quickly and finally stunned him.

As Harry was helped up by Tonks he looked at her gratefully. "Hey Tonks, I want to thank you guys for all your help. I really appreciate the effort and if there is anything I can do to show my appreciation please let me know."

Tonks looked at him for a second and he got the feeling that she wanted to say something but was stopping herself.

"What is it?" Harry asked her.

"It's nothing, Harry, just forget it. You don't need to do anything for us. We are glad to help out," Tonks said smiling at him.

"It is something. Look, just tell me, OK? If it is something I can't do, I'll tell you," Harry said impatiently.

Tonks hesitated. "Look, Harry, a lot of the Aurors know that one of them might have to fight You-Know-Who sooner or later. But they are afraid as no one here has ever faced him. Do you know that there is only one Auror that has ever fought him and escaped alive? And that was during the last war. It was Mad-Eye. He lost his leg in the encounter and barely made it out alive."

Harry nodded. "Yes, but what does it have to do with me?"

"Harry, you have managed to face him four times and live to tell about it. That is almost legendary. You are the only one who has faced him since he came back, except Dumbledore, of course. We were wondering if you could share your experience with us in a Penseive so that we could see what it was like. We felt that maybe… maybe if we were to see it once it would make it easier on us if one of us were to actually face him," Tonks explained.

Harry was quiet as Tonks finished speaking. She had asked something of him that he had never wanted to share with anyone. What she had asked of him was what had plagued him for so long in his nightmares.

"Look, as I said, forget it. I should never have asked. I know you hardly want to remember all that stuff again. I'm really sorry I brought it up. Now let's go and grab a bite to eat," Tonks said apologetically.

"Tonks, wait," Harry said hoarsely.

Tonks turned and looked at him. "I'll do it. But just this once and we do it immediately. If I think about it too much I won't be able to go through with it."

"Are you sure, Harry? I mean you don't have to do this just because I asked you. You don't owe us anything for training you," Tonks said anxiously.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. Let's do it."

Ten minutes later Harry sat in an armchair and in front of him was a large Penseive, the size of a kitchen sink. It had been made especially for the Aurors so that a large number of them could look at memories at once. It was really useful to show duels and strategies of previous battles so that the Aurors could learn from them.

Standing around Harry were about fifty Aurors all of them waiting for Harry to put his memories inside.

"Are you sure about this, Harry?" Kingsley asked. "If you are uncomfortable with it, don't do it."

"Its fine, Kingsley," Harry said as he concentrated on putting his memories inside the penseive. "Tonks is right, you do need to see this. Right now many of you can't even say his name. Voldemort thrives on fear and you won't last a heartbeat if he senses that you are afraid of him."

Kingsley nodded. "We appreciate it, Harry."

"Ok, it's all in. Let's do it," Harry said as he finished transferring the last silver strand inside the Pensieve.

Fifty wands entered the Pensieve, and moments later, the Aurors and Harry were falling into Harry's past.

**OoOoOoO**

They found themselves standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place.

"The Chamber of Secrets," Harry said softly. "I met a memory of Voldemort as a sixteen year old here. I always find it easier to think of him like this. It seems that he has some human left in him and not the complete monster that he has become."

The Aurors shivered as they followed the memory of a twelve year old Harry as he rushed towards the fallen body of Ginny Weasley.

"Was there really a Basilisk in here, Harry?" Tonks asked with a shudder.

"Yes, there was. But don't worry it can't harm you in here," Harry said calmly.

The Aurors watched as Riddle mocked Harry and then revealed his identity by tracing his name through the air. Most of them were in awe of Harry's total lack of fear as he told Riddle that Dumbledore, and not he, was the greatest wizard in the world.

The Aurors couldn't help move back in fear as Riddle called forth the Basilisk. The monster was the stuff of nightmares and it couldn't seem possible that a twelve year old boy, who was wandless, could defeat the king of serpents.

Yet they watched in amazement as Harry drove the sword of Gryffindor up the roof of the Basilisks mouth, killing it.

Most of them knew that they couldn't have done what Harry had done. They would have been petrified with fear.

Harry watched the memory impassively. Somehow it didn't affect him as much as it would have a few years ago. He supposed that he had seen it so many times in his nightmares that he was immune to it by now.

He watched as the memory of him killed Riddle by driving the Basilisk fang deep into the accursed Diary.

The memory changed and the Aurors found themselves standing in the center of a large maze. Right in the centre was a large Golden cup – The Triwizard cup.

A gigantic spider lay motionless on the ground and they saw two people arguing furiously amongst themselves.

"Take it, then,' the memory of Harry panted to Cedric Diggory. "Go on, take it. You're there."

"You take it. You should win. That's twice you've saved my neck in here," Cedric replied.

The two boys argued amongst themselves neither willing to touch the cup. Finally they decided to take it together. As they touched the cup the Aurors and Harry felt themselves flying through the air and the scene changed and they landed unsteadily in a small overgrown graveyard.

Harry moved forward to catch Tonks who was about to fall down.

They watched in horror as a minute later Cedric was killed by the killing curse and Harry was captured and tied to the gravestone.

What followed was to give the fully grown Aurors nightmares for several weeks. They watched as Pettigrew prepared the potion to revive Voldemort and throw in the ugly form of the Dark Lord into the cauldron. Many of them were thinking of the same thing as Harry had that night.

_Please let the thing drown. Please let it fail._

Harry gritted his teeth in anger as he watched Wormtail approach the restrained fourteen year old Harry to take his blood for the potion. He should have let Sirius and Remus kill the bastard. None of this would have happened then.

The steam cleared slowly from the large cauldron and when the Dark Lord was finally seen several Aurors screamed and a few stumbled backwards and fell over in fear. None of them had ever seen a more horrific looking man. No, he wasn't a man. No man looked like _that._ He was a monster… _a demon_.

Harry closed his eyes. The following bit still gave him nightmares and he didn't particularly want to watch it. He forced himself to watch as the Death Eaters appeared in the Graveyard and surrounded his fourteen year old self.

As Voldemort was addressing the Death eaters Harry's ears suddenly perked up. Something Voldemort just said seemed very strange. He couldn't exactly put his finger on it but he knew that he was missing something very important. He screwed up his forehead deep in thought trying to think of what it could be.

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard his fourteen year old scream under the Cruciatus Curse.

Harry shuddered. He could almost feel the pain of the curse.

It was still very unbelievable to him that he had survived that night. He had been _incredibly_ lucky. In normal circumstances he should have died in the graveyard. The odds had been stacked mightily against him.

The Aurors watched in amazement as Harry's disarming spell and Voldemort's killing curse met in mid air and the golden cage formed around them whisking them up in the air. They watched the spirits come out of The Dark Lord's wand and the mad dash Harry made to the Triwizard cup.

Harry almost sighed in relief when he saw his fourteen year old self dive for Cedric's body. He didn't think he could take much more.

A minute later, Harry and the stunned Aurors found themselves back in Auror Headquarters and Harry sank back down in the chair drained.

He had hardly sat down when he suddenly found himself lifted out of the chair and hugged tightly by a sobbing Tonks. "Oh, Harry, _I'm so s-s-sorry_. It must have been terrible for you to relive all of that."

Harry was very uncomfortable being hugged by Tonks in front of half of the Auror Division. But he knew that it would be very rude to push her away.

He awkwardly patted her on the back. "It's all right, Tonks. Seriously, I'm fine."

Harry saw Kingsley and Moody whispering to each other behind Tonk's back.

Kingsley looked a little shaken but Moody looked to be in control of himself. He looked up at Harry and there was respect in his eyes.

Tonks was still crying and she was mentally kicking and berating herself for ever having suggested the idea to Harry.

"Tonks," Harry said gently. "It's fine, _really_. Now come on, I could use a bite to eat and then I need to get back home."

Tonks nodded and led him through the crowd of Aurors surrounding them towards the kitchen.

The last thing Harry heard before he left the room was the stunned whispers of the Aurors. They had never really known what it was to be Harry Potter.

Many had felt that a lot of the stories surrounding him were rumors. Most had felt that he had just been extremely lucky. After today they would never think that again.

Harry Potter had been lucky, no doubt about that. But it had been more than just luck that saved him in those encounters. He had showed courage beyond anything they had seen and had kept his head throughout.

It wasn't luck that drove that sword up the Basilisk and thrust the fang into the diary. It had not been luck that had driven the golden beads into Voldemort's wand. And it had certainly not been luck that had summoned the cup to Harry so that he could escape with Cedric's body.

Things could have gone very differently if Harry had panicked or lost his head at any time during those two encounters.

All of them had developed a great respect for the young fifteen year old today. He had faced and survived what many of them would never be able to.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry was sitting quietly in a chair in Jack's bedroom. He had not wanted to come here today after going through all of that at Auror Headquarters, but Jack and Sean had refused to listen to reason and shot down all his protests.

So he was here sitting and listening to Jack, Sean and Alan talking, adding the occasional comment in now and then.

Jack had tentatively asked him whether anything was wrong and Harry had waved the comment away saying he was perfectly fine. After that the three friends had not asked him any more questions.

Suddenly, the door bell rang and Jack jumped to his feet. "That will be Pat," he said over his shoulder as he ran downstairs.

Harry watched the door nervously and shifted his position subtly so as to not bring himself into focus. He wondered what 'Pat,' who he had heard so much about, was like.

A minute later he found out, as the door opened and Jack led in a tall girl into the room. She seemed to be the same age as Harry and had a very shapely figure. Her proud face was framed by waist length black hair.

"Hi guys," she said enthusiastically as she hugged Sean and Alan. "I missed you a lot."

Yeah, right!" Sean snorted. "You were probably too busy having a ball in Australia and you must not have even thought about us."

"You wound me," Pat pouted.

"So, how was Australia? What did you do?" Alan asked eagerly.

"Well, it was great fun. I have so much to tell you… Oh, hello," She said noticing Harry sitting quietly in a corner.

"Oh, I forgot," Sean said slapping his forehead. "Harry meet Patricia Marchbanks. Pat meet Harry Potter."

Pat's eyes went wide as she heard his name and her eyebrows rose in shock. But she quickly covered it and Harry doubted that anybody else had even noticed her reaction.

"Hello, Harry," she said extending her hand. "How nice to meet you."

Harry took her hand and shook it and as he did he noticed her eyes flicker to his scar for a moment before they moved on.

"We met Harry at Aikido practice," Sean said. "I'm partnering him for now."

Pat dropped Harry's hand and grinned mischievously. "I feel _so_ sorry for you, Harry."

"Hey!" Sean said in annoyance. "I'm teaching him properly. Aren't I, Harry?"

"Um… I guess," Harry offered.

"Oh, I'm just kidding, Sean," Pat said punching him on his arm. "I see you are still pretty touchy about some things."

"Oww!" Sean said rubbing his arm. "I'm not touchy. I was just saying…"

"Yeah, yeah, stow it you two," Alan said impatiently. "I want to know what Pat was up to in Australia."

So Pat started telling them about her holiday. How she had spent a lot of time at the beach, learnt to surf, and even visited a few aboriginal tribes.

Harry was content to listen, but he noticed that every now and then she shot him very unnerving looks. She looked like she knew something about him. Some deep dark secret of his. What could she possibly know?

Was it the bloody St Brutus' rumor? No, it couldn't be as trivial as that. Maybe she knew about magic. But how could a muggle know? Or was she a muggle? But he was sure that he had never seen her at Hogwarts. And if she was a witch surely she wouldn't hang around with Muggles. And Sean had said that she attended Stonewall High with them.

Harry caught her looking at him again when she thought he wasn't aware. He felt very uneasy at being the recipient of the looks and he got up abruptly. "Hey Jack, can you direct me to the bathroom, please?"

"Sure, Harry, just take the first door to the right."

Harry nodded and gratefully exited the room. He went inside the bathroom and gratefully splashed some cold water on his face.

Patricia Marchbanks bothered him. He knew that she wasn't what she appeared to be. Something was seriously wrong.

Suddenly he heard the door open quietly. Too quietly for someone not knowing that someone was inside.

He drew his wand and whirled around to face the intruder.

Pat's eyes widened as Harry's wand pointed right between her eyes.

"Put the wand away," she hissed. "I'm not going to attack you."

Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her inside the bathroom. He closed the door with one hand, making sure to keep her covered with his wand as he did so.

"You better start talking or you are going to be in serious trouble," Harry said in a dangerous whisper as he brought his face close to hers, invading her private space. He noticed that her eyes were a very unusual violet colour and it threw him for a second.

"Harry, I told you I'm not going to attack you," Pat said calmly.

"Yeah? Well forgive me for not believing you. You seem to know an awful lot for a muggle. This makes me think that something very wrong is going on here."

"I'm not a Muggle," Pat hissed.

"Really?" Harry cocked an eyebrow. "I must have missed seeing you in Hogwarts then. Or perhaps you go to another school? Which leads to the interesting question of what the hell you are doing hanging out with Muggles."

"I am not a muggle and I don't attend _any_ magical school," Pat said angrily.

Harry cocked an eyebrow questioningly.

Pat suddenly looked away, but Harry caught a glimpse of deep sorrow in her eyes before she could do so. "I am a squib," she mumbled softly.

Harry's brow furrowed and he lowered his wand. "A squib?"

"Yes, a squib. That's how I know who you are. After all, who doesn't in the magical world?"

Suddenly something clicked. "Are you by any chance related to Madam Marchbanks?"

Pat nodded slowly. "She's my Great Grandmother."

Harry nodded. "Look, I'm sorry. I assumed the worst and attacked you. You must think I'm a big prat."

Pat shook her head, smiling weakly. "No, I understand. It would have been suspicious to you and I know that for you it is better to be safe than sorry."

Harry sighed. "You have no idea. Look, let's go back or else they'll suspect something. We'll talk later."

"All right, I just came to let you know you don't have to be suspicious of me. I saw that you were worried about whether I was to be trusted or not," Pat explained.

"Thank you," Harry whispered. "You better go first and I'll follow."

Pat nodded and exited the bathroom leaving behind a very surprised Harry. Things were certainly happening in Privet Drive all of a sudden.

**OoOoOoO**

Taken directly from Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling

Taken from The Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling


	8. Confrontations

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (07)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** Ok I'm not making any money out of this and J.K owns it all. The only thing I'm getting is a lot of fun and reviews. But the latter are few and far between coughhintcough

**Thanks again to Sharon for the lovely work she is doing. **

**Tricia…you rock!!!! What would I do without your excellent betaing skills?**

**OoOoOoO**

**Chapter 07 - Confrontations**

**OoOoOoO**

Harry looked at the thick, green envelope and thoughtfully turned it over in his hands. It had arrived just as he was sitting for breakfast after his morning run. He had already been running late for his Aikido training, and as today had been the day he was going to start learning Taekwondo, he had decided to leave it for later.

Many like Ron, Dean, Seamus and Neville would be afraid, would be reluctant to open it and find out its contents. Others like Hermione would be tearing it open in eager anticipation.

He was simply indifferent. It didn't matter to him one way or the other if he did well or not in his OWL's.

He knew that unlike all his other batch mates his OWL scores would not decide what career he would choose or what classes he would take.

He would only be able to think of a career _if_, or when, Voldemort was defeated.

As for classes… He knew what he would be taking - Charms, Transfigurations, DADA and Herbology. He would also be studying Potions whether Snape accepted him in his class or not.

He would be taking these classes not because they would help him get into his chosen career. It was because these subjects would help him in his fight against Voldemort.

He sighed and broke open the wax seal to open the envelope and took out a thick piece of official looking parchment from inside.

_Mr. Potter,_

_Enclosed inside are the results of your Ordinary Wizard Level examinations that you sat for last term. _

_The scores are based on the following basis : -_

_A score of A, E, and O are passing scores and will count as one OWL._

_Scores of D and T will mean that you have failed that particular subject and have not attained an OWL._

_Enclosed inside you will find a form to choose the NEWT level subjects you wish to take for the current school year._

_Sincerely,_

_Griselda Marchbanks,_

_Head of the Wizarding Examination Authority._

**Subject: **Astronomy

**Theory: **A

**Practical: **A

**Subject: **Charms

**Theory: **E

**Practical: **O

**Subject: **Divination

**Theory: **N/A

**Practical: **D

**Subject: **DADA

**Theory: **O

**Practical: ** O

**Subject: **Herbology

**Theory: **N/A

**Practical: **E

**Subject: **History

**Theory: **D

**Practical:** N/A

**Subject: **Magical Creatures

**Theory: **N/A

**Practical:** O

**Subject: **Potions

**Theory: **O

**Practical:** E

**Subject: **Transfiguration

**Theory: **E

**Practical:** E

**Total Score: ** 12

**Overall Rating:** Exceeds Expectations

Harry's eyes widened in shock. Twelve OWLs! He had got _twelve_ OWLs. And how the _hell_ had he managed to get an O in Potions? Did that mean that he wasn't as bad as Snape was always going on about? He reckoned it had something to do with the fact that he had been able to describe the making of the Polyjuice potion and its effects correctly. Also it could have been the fact that Snape wasn't breathing down his neck during the practical.

He suddenly wondered how Hermione had done. If he, Harry Potter, had managed twelve, Hermione Granger, the girl whose brain was literally overflowing with grey matter must have got a great many more.

She had probably set some sort of record for most OWLs attained by a student in a century or something.

As he was wondering this there was a small thump against his window and he saw that Pigwidgeon, in his haste and excitement of delivering a letter, had crashed into the closed window.

Harry quickly opened the window and picked up the stunned Owl.

"Won't you _ever_ learn?" Harry said chidingly to the little Owl as he carried him over to Hedwig's cage. He took the letter from his legs and recognizing Ron's handwriting, sat down to read it.

_Harry, mate,_

_We got our OWL results this morning and Hermione has been pestering me to write to you and find out how you've done. Honestly the girl is crazy! _

_**I am not crazy, Ronald Weasley!!! **_

_**Hello, Harry. **_

_**How did you do on your OWLs? I Got sixteen OWLs and fifteen of them Outstanding. My overall grade is Outstanding. I still can't believe I did so well!**_

_I can't, for the life of me, understand what she is so surprised about, mate. I mean everybody knew how she would do since our first year. Anyway I got eleven OWLs and my grade was Exceeds Expectations. Can you believe I got an E in Potions?_

_**Can you NOT act like a prat for once, Ron? There is no way to know how well one will do in these exams. Especially NOT when one is in their first year. Anyway, Harry, I want to thank you for your help last year. It is largely due to the DA meetings that I was able to do so well in my DADA OWLs.**_

_Yeah, mate, seriously. I can't believe I got an O in DADA. I think if we had left it to what that cow Umbridge had taught us I would have failed for sure._

_**Next year is going to be very tough. NEWT level classes are very difficult and we must start studying for them right away. I think if we study hard during the summer we should be able to cope up with the school year pretty well.**_

_**ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!** I am not going to touch a single book this summer. I had enough of books all through the last year and I'll be damned if I study during the holidays too. _

_**Language Ron!! Oh all right! Do what you want and see if I care. You can suffer the consequences once we are back at school. And if you think for one second that you can copy from my notes you will be in for a very nasty surprise.**_

_You see what I am stuck with? She's been like that for the entire time she's been here. I thought that since OWLs were over she would settle down but she is going on about studying for NEWTs now. Nutters! Absolutely Nutters!!_

_**They are only one year away, Ron Weasley! One year! They'll be here before you know it. And for the last time I am not nutters!**_

_Are too._

_**Am Not.**_

_Are too._

_**Oh fine, be childish. Behave like the immature git that you are.**_

_**Harry, I'll write to you later. Please write back with your results soon. I can't wait to find out how you did.**_

_**Love, Hermione.**_

_I guess that's all I had to say too. I'll write to you again soon._

_Take care mate, and write soon._

_Ron._

Harry read the letter with a broad grin on his face. It was so like Ron and Hermione. And no matter how much Hermione protested they had always known that she would do this well. _Sixteen_ OWLs! It staggered him to think of it.

His grin broadened even more as he thought about the constant bickering between his two best friends. Some things _never_ changed. He wondered whether the both of them had worked out that they fancied each other.

Harry might not be very smart when it came to relationships, feelings, and figuring out girls, but even he could tell that Ron and Hermione had a thing for each other. He just hoped that they worked it out – if they stopped bickering long enough to do so.

He wondered for a moment whether things would change if his two best friends started going out. Where would he fit in the picture?

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he contemplated the changes that would probably take place within the trio.

Maybe it would be for the best. If they didn't spend so much time around him maybe they could be kept out of danger.

He picked up a quill and began to write back to them.

_Ron and Hermione,_

_I'm glad both of you did so well on your OWLs. Hermione, I expected nothing less from the most brilliant witch Hogwarts has seen in a century. I am really proud of you._

_Next, I am very glad at finding out that both of you did so well in DADA. But I can hardly take all the credit for your scores. You got good marks because you studied and practiced, not only because I was teaching you. I wouldn't have been able to teach you anything if you didn't want to learn._

_Anyway, I scraped up twelve OWLs with a rating of Exceeds Expectations. I certainly wasn't expecting to do so well. I guess its all due to you, Hermione. If you hadn't helped out, made all those study schedules for us, and made sure we studied I would never have done so well._

_Take care you two,_

_Harry. _

He tied the letter to the now perked up Pigwidgeon and sent him on his way.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry was working hard on constructing his mental shields with Dumbledore's help. Over the past few days he had made steady progress in Occlumency and was now able to make out Dumbledore's presence in his mind seven times out of ten.

Of course, he still couldn't stop him at all, but Dumbledore had decided that he was ready to begin constructing his mental defenses and they had been doing that for the last two lessons.

Harry greatly appreciated the fact that Dumbledore never lingered in his mind when he broke in through his flimsy defenses. He was out as soon as he managed to break in, being ever thoughtful of Harry's privacy.

The process of building the mental shields was long and lengthy. At first he was unable to do it until Dumbledore had him do visualization exercises. Harry had been made to imagine a large impenetrable wall which the Headmaster had him lay brick by brick.

Harry had chosen to use the large, grey stone of Hogwarts walls for this exercise, each block pulsating and seeped with centuries of magic. He had reinforced these walls with a second wall of cement, concrete and steel.

But it was difficult to hold up the image, as Dumbledore managed to find the tiniest of cracks in the defense that brought the wall tumbling down and Harry had to start all over again.

He was exhausted by the end of the hour and was glad the lesson was over. While Dumbledore was an excellent and patient teacher, he was also a taskmaster who pushed Harry to his limits.

As he got up to leave for his transfiguration lessons he was stopped by Dumbledore.

"Just a minute, Harry," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I have something to discuss with you."

Harry sat back down and looked at the Headmaster curiously.

"Harry, I wanted to talk to you about the possibility of you continuing the DA this year, but this time open to the whole school."

Harry was left speechless as he looked at the smiling face of Albus Dumbledore. "Why would you want me to continue? We're going to have a proper defense teacher this year, right?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Yes, Harry, the person hired to teach DADA this year is more than qualified for the job, but it would still be beneficial if you were to continue the DA. You see, the DADA teacher has to touch upon dark creatures and artifacts, too, besides the usual hexes and curses. It is impossible to focus exclusively on Dueling. The DA can focus on this aspect. It is almost imperative for everybody to be able to defend themselves this year," Dumbledore explained.

"I realize that. But don't you think you should assign somebody qualified then? I mean… I'm no teacher and would hardly be an ideal candidate to be able to teach everybody to defend themselves," Harry said bewilderedly.

At Harry's words Dumbledore's eyes started twinkling merrily and Harry was immediately suspicious. Whenever he had that damn twinkle in his eyes he _always_ had something up his sleeve.

"Harry, do you know that this years OWL results hold two records for the subject of DADA?" Dumbledore said with an amused smile.

Harry shook his head warily.

"This year's batch had the most number of people who failed DADA, and the most number of Outstanding scores. All those who were in the DA last year got Outstanding on their DADA OWLs. You are a good teacher, whether you admit it or not," Dumbledore said gently.

"Yes, but that was a few people. You are talking about the entire school," Harry protested.

"I have no doubt that you can handle it. But if you wish I can assign a staff member to supervise the meetings and make sure that control is maintained," Dumbledore said airily, waving away Harry's protests.

Harry gazed at Dumbledore's face and saw that the Headmaster had full confidence in his decision. He balked at such a heavy responsibility. Being responsible for making sure that so many students knew how to defend themselves was no joke. It could mean life or death for any of them and he would have to make sure that they were well trained.

"Very well, Professor," Harry said finally. "But on a few conditions."

"And what are your conditions?" Dumbledore asked patiently.

Harry took a deep breath. "I will have total control over what I teach and who I accept into the club. I will teach whatever I feel needs to be taught and _however_ I feel it needs to be taught. I also want the right to bring in people from outside to help if I feel it is necessary."

Dumbledore nodded. "Those are reasonable demands. But I hope that you will allow everybody, including Slytherins, a chance to join the club. And you will need to tell me who you are inviting to help you a few days in advance to allow me to clear them."

"Of course, Professor," Harry agreed. "The club will be open to the entire school and all those who want to learn. But I know that there will be some factions that would want to disturb the meetings more than learn anything. I will not allow these people in the DA."

"It's settled then, Harry. Just let me know who you would like as advisor on the club so I can ask them if they would be agreeable to the position."

Harry nodded. "I'll think about it and let you know."

"Do that. Now off to your Transfiguration lessons. Minerva will have my hide for keeping you so late," Dumbledore said cheerfully, as he popped a lemon drop into his mouth.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry sat in front of Professor McGonagall as she read his OWL scores.

"Congratulations, Potter," Prof. McGonagall said, looking up at him with a hint of a smile. "You have done remarkably well. I think you will be able to make all the classes needed for becoming an Auror. And if you improve enough in Potions during the summer I might be able to persuade Prof. Snape to let you into his classes."

Harry nodded. "As I said, I've bought a few books on Potions and I have been studying from them. But it would help if I had some place to practice brewing them."

McGonagall nodded. "Yes, I agree, since it is your brewing that needs most work you will need to practice it. I have already arranged something," she said briskly.

She then handed him a long piece of parchment "I have made a schedule for you for studying Potions during the summer and I will be assigning you essays and homework. Also after your charms classes with Prof. Flitwick I will set aside an hour for you to practice your brewing."

Harry studied the lengthy parchment with a raised eyebrow. "Uh… If I remember correctly some of these potions are _not_ fifth year work."

"Yes, I expect you to be sixth year level in Potions before the start of the school year. That way you will be able to cope better in NEWT level Potions and it will prove to Prof. Snape that you deserve to be in his class," Prof. Mcgonagall explained.

Harry sighed. "Very well, Professor."

"All right, before we begin our lessons for today there was one more thing I wanted to discuss with you."

Harry watched curiously as she rummaged in her desk drawer for something.

"I have decided that you are the best person to captain the Quidditch team for this year. Do not disappoint me. I have become used to the trophy sitting in my office," McGonagall said, looking up at Harry piercingly and handing him a small gold object.

Harry looked at her with a strange expression on his face as she handed him the gold badge of the Quidditch team.

McGonagall's face suddenly melted into a small smile. "Your father would have been very proud of you."

Harry ran his fingers over the badge lightly, feeling the raised symbol of the Gryffindor Lion as he gazed at the highly polished red and gold object. He was silent for a long time.

"Professor, I can't accept this," he finally choked out.

"Nonsense, Potter, you are the senior most member of the team after Katie Bell and she has NEWTs this year. Also, it wouldn't be wise to appoint a captain for only one year," McGonagall said firmly.

"You… you don't understand, Professor," Harry stammered. "I won't be playing on the Quidditch team this year."

For the first time, in all his years at Hogwarts, Harry saw Professor McGonagall speechless.

"Not playing Quidditch? Why not? It isn't because of that stupid ban Umbridge put on you, is it? Because that has been revoked as soon as she left."

Harry shook his head. "No, it's not because of that. I won't have any time for Quidditch this year. I will have my Aikido and Taekwondo practice in the mornings and Occlumency training with Professor Dumbledore and Animagus training with you. On top of that Prof. Dumbledore just got me to agree to lead the DA again this year, only for the _entire_ school. With all of that and my studies I don't think I'm going to have any time to play Quidditch."

"But Harry, think about this again. You are the best seeker that Gryffindor has," McGonagall urged. "I'm sure something could be worked out."

"It hardly matters whether we win the Quidditch cup or the House cup anymore, Professor," Harry said sadly. "No, I really must decline the captaincy. I think it will be very foolish not to mention _selfish_ of me to waste time playing Quidditch when there are so many things I have to do."

"Very well, Harry, I will respect your wishes," Prof Mcgonagall said quietly, putting the badge back into the drawer and closing it.

"May I ask if there is anybody on the team that you feel would make a good Captain in your absence?" she asked, looking up slowly.

Harry hesitated.

McGonagall noticed it however and quickly reassured him. "I asked you for your opinion, Potter. You may give it freely. The final decision will be mine and you shall not influence it."

Harry took a deep breath. "I think Ron Weasley would make a very good Captain. He knows loads about the game, coming from a wizarding family and having grown up with Quidditch. Not to mention that his family has produced great Quidditch players over the years. Also, he has a great head for strategy and is very passionate about the game."

"Very well, Potter, I will take that under consideration," McGonagall said pensively. "Now, that's enough time wasted, let's get on with our lessons."

The rest of the hour passed quickly as Harry learnt the basics of self Transfiguration. It was difficult work and he realized why it was NEWT level.

As Harry walked down to Charms he brooded over the fact that his schedule would not allow him to play Quidditch. It was one of the things he loved most about the magical world. It had been a hard decision and he knew he would miss playing terribly.

He shook his head. It was better not to think about such things. Thinking about them would do him no good and only put him in the self pity mood that he loathed. He seemed to be doing a _lot_ of that nowadays.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry rushed downstairs as the doorbell rang. He got to it just as Aunt Petunia opened the door to reveal Patricia, who was looking very pretty in a short yellow sundress and strappy white sandals. Her long hair was left open and hung down to her waist.

"Hello, Mrs. Dursley," Pat said with a smile. "I have come to meet Harry. Is he there?"

Aunt Petunia was just going to open her mouth to say that he wasn't in, when Harry interrupted her.

"Hello, Patricia, yes, I'm right here. Come on in."

Petunia Dursley glared at her nephew. "How dare you invite her to the house?" she hissed into Harry's ear. "And what do you mean, come in? I will not have your friends in my house."

"Patricia and I need to talk urgently, Aunt Petunia. I am going to take her right into my room. I promise we won't bother you," Harry said calmly.

Aunt Petunia turned purple. "Your room!" she screamed. She controlled herself as she remembered that Patricia was standing right outside, hearing everything.

"What are you up to, Boy? You know you can't allow anybody into your room. She's not abnormal like you," she said in a low outraged voice.

"She's definitely not abnormal, and neither am I, for that matter. But she _is_ like me and knows all about _you-know-what_. So there's no need to worry," Harry explained.

"Is there a problem, Harry?" Pat asked with a worried look.

"Oh, no problem, come on in," Harry said, as he pulled the door open, much to the annoyance of his Aunt.

Aunt Petunia looked very flustered as things began to get out of control. She could do nothing but watch as Pat entered the house and then followed Harry up to his room.

"Don't you dare lock your door, Boy. And I want no hanky panky going on," she said in a very audible whisper as they passed by her.

Harry opened the door of his bedroom and let Pat enter before him. Then he closed the door and leaned his forehead against it.

"I'm really sorry, Patricia. I apologize for my Aunt's rudeness," Harry said as he turned around slowly and forced a smile.

Pat smiled. "Don't worry about it."

Harry was not reassured by her words and his face was still red with embarrassment. "Please, have a seat," He said waving his hand at the armchairs.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Harry asked when she had taken a seat.

"Oh, don't bother, Harry," Pat said with a shake of her head. "I wouldn't want you to get in any trouble with your Aunt."

"It's no problem," Harry said with a small smile. "Dobby, are you there?"

Dobby appeared before Harry with a small crack. "Is Harry Potter wanting anything?"

"Yes, Dobby, I would like you to meet a friend of mine. Patricia this is Dobby… Dobby meet Patricia."

Dobby bowed to Pat. "Dobby is very pleased to meet a friend of the great Harry Potter."

Pat threw an amused glance at the beet red face of Harry before she smiled at Dobby. "Hello Dobby, I'm very pleased to meet you too."

"Err… right, can you get us some Pumpkin juice please, Dobby?"

"Dobby will get it right away, Harry Potter," The tiny house elf said before disappearing with a crack and reappearing with two cold glasses of the beverage.

Harry took a seat opposite Pat and looked at her warily. "Err… sorry about that. Dobby gets a bit carried away. I had a bit of a hand in setting him free from his previous family. They were a nasty lot and were in the habit of abusing him. Now, for some absurd reason, he thinks I am the greatest thing since sliced bread."

Pat was very intrigued with Harry Potter. She had never, even in her wildest dreams, thought the hero of the wizarding world would be like this. He had no airs about him, was nice and polite and was quite modest and unassuming.

Also she had noticed the way he treated Dobby and the affection Dobby had for him. She had always believed that a person's true worth could be ascertained by how they treated those less fortunate than themselves. All too many times she had seen and heard horror stories about the treatment of House Elves. That a wizard of the stature of Harry Potter was so kind to them said loads about his true character.

She was also puzzled about the behavior of his relatives. It was obvious that there was no love lost between them. Why, then, was Harry living with them? Surely he would find a place to live with almost _any_ wizarding family.

"It's a shock to find you living around here, Harry. I mean, I never thought that Harry Potter lived so close to me. How is it possible that I never saw you around?" Pat asked finally.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because I never got out much. I never knew that there were any magical families living nearby. I guess you can miss a lot of things if you aren't actively looking for them."

"I think I understand. I mean, it must be hard to mix around with other people when you know you are so different. And it must have been even more difficult for you than for others," Pat said thoughtfully. "I know it was pretty difficult for me."

Harry looked at her quizzically. "Actually, Patricia, I didn't know any of that. I didn't even know I was a wizard until I got my letter."

Pat looked at him stunned. "You're kidding me. How is that possible?"

"Well, my Aunt and Uncle hate magic, and anything they consider abnormal. So they never really told me. And since no one else came to tell me either I really had no way of knowing," Harry explained.

"But that's preposterous! Why would they put you with such a family?" Pat asked incredulously.

"I… They were my only relatives and when my mother died she left me a blood protection that would keep me safe as long as I was living with a member of her family. In this case, my Aunt. So I guess that's why."

"But if You-Know-Who was gone then why would they need such an elaborate protection for you? Surely there could have been some other way to keep you safe?" Pat said slowly, trying to understand the reason for such a stupid decision.

Harry sighed. "I try not to think of it, Patricia. What's done is done. Thinking about it is hardly going to change anything."

Pat was totally shocked by all this news. How could the wizarding world have turned their backs on someone who had been the one responsible for ridding them from the dark times? It was totally unbelievable to her.

"Anyway tell me about yourself," Harry said with a smile.

Pat forced herself to put aside her horror and confusion and smiled. "Well, I live with my parents a few streets away. Both of them are magical. My Mum works at St. Mungo's as a Healer and my Dad works in the Goblin Relations department in the Ministry. My Great grand mother, Griselda Marchbanks, is a member of the Wizengamot and is Head of the Wizarding Examination Department."

Pat paused and a sad look crossed her face. "I… I was found to be a… a _squib_ and since I couldn't attend Hogwarts… I decided to study as a muggle."

Pat was looking down on the floor as she said this and was surprised to feel Harry's hand on hers.

"Don't feel sorry for yourself, Patricia," Harry said gently. "You don't know how lucky you are. So you can't do magic. So what? You are pretty, intelligent, have a wonderful family that loves you, friends that care for you, and from what I hear you are quite the master in Aikido."

Pat nodded and tried to smile at Harry.

"I sometimes feel that magic is not just waving your wand and making things fly around or conjuring things. No, what is truly magical is having someone care for you for who you are. What's magical is someone spending years at something to become the best that they can be. Someone overcoming all their shortcomings to find their own place in this world. What's magical is that you live your life in such a manner that it inspires others around you. So no, you may not be able to do magic, but nothing can stop you from being _magical_."

Harry had absolutely no idea where all this was coming from as he wasn't exactly known for his ability to talk. But he had felt the words from his heart and said what he had felt.

Pat looked at Harry, tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Harry. That was one of the most touching things someone has ever told me. I will remember your words."

At that moment the door to Harry's bedroom burst open with a bang and he looked up in alarm to find his Uncle and Aunt standing there. His eyes widened in shock as he saw a rifle clutched in his Uncle's hands, the muzzle pointing straight at him.

"Boy! I told you I don't want anymore nonsense. I thought I had made that _very_ clear. You were told not to bring any more freaks like you into the house," Uncle Vernon bellowed.

Harry just stared at him, unable to believe that this was happening.

"And what is this? You are bringing girls into the house? And taking them up to your bedroom? I will not tolerate such behavior," Uncle Vernon continued screaming, spittle flying everywhere from his mouth.

"Are you _insane?_" Pat yelled at him. "Point the gun away at once."

Vernon Dursley opened his mouth to say something rude but he was cut off by Harry.

"Patricia, just please stay out of this. I think it would be for the best if you leave now. I'm really sorry for all of this," Harry said quietly.

"No, of course I won't leave. He has a rifle in his hand. I'm not going to leave you alone with him," Pat said indignantly.

"Just trust me, Pat, nothing is going to happen. Just go. I'll take care of everything," Harry said reassuringly.

"No, Harry… This has got to stop…"

"Go, Pat, we'll talk about this later," Harry said firmly.

Pat looked torn. She couldn't bear to leave Harry in a situation like this, and yet she didn't know him well enough to argue with him in his own house.

She walked towards the door and as she was leaving turned to Vernon Dursley who still had the gun pointed at Harry.

"If anything happens to Harry, I. will. make. you. pay. I swear it. You will have more to be afraid of than the police, and I assure you of this," she said in a low, furious voice. Saying this she left, slamming the door to the house on her way out.

After she had left Harry turned to face his Uncle. "If you are going to shoot me, do so now, or else kindly get out of my room," Harry said coldly.

Uncle Vernon's face twitched and his hold tightened on the gun.

"Well, what are you waiting for? You and I both know that you don't have the guts to pull that trigger. So as I said, either shoot me, or get out."

"Don't you _dare_ give me the lip, boy. I am seconds away from ending your miserable existence," Vernon Dursley thundered.

Harry's green eyes hardened and Vernon Dursley for all his anger and bluster couldn't help but shiver.

"You have made a very big mistake today. One that I will make you pay for in time. Be grateful that I am letting you go today. Now get out before I change my mind," Harry said in a deadly whisper.

Vernon Dursley shuddered. It was very scary to see his nephew like this. The boy had absolutely no fear in his eyes. And his voice… even though it wasn't raised it was deadly in its intent.

He slowly backed out of the door followed by his wife and closed it behind him.

Harry rubbed a hand over his throbbing temple, making an enormous effort to control his temper.

He knew he had lost the fight when a nearby lamp and the pitcher of water shattered into a hundred pieces.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry walked along the tiny corridor, tucked away in the bowels of the ministry. It was badly lit and all the indications showed that not many people came down here.

Tonks walked beside him, wondering why Harry wanted to visit Centaur Liaisons. They had just finished their dueling practice for the day when Harry had made the unusual request.

When Tonks had questioned him about it he had given an evasive answer.

The office they stopped before was barely bigger than a broom closet and only contained a tiny rickety desk and two chairs.

Harry motioned to Tonks that he wanted to go in alone and entered the office.

Behind the desk, dressed in crumpled robes, looking haggard and unshaved, sat Percy Weasley.

"Hello, Percy," Harry said softly.

Percy looked up startled. He apparently didn't have too many people come down here, and the last person he expected to see was Harry Potter.

"Harr… Mr. Potter?" Percy exclaimed. He had hastily corrected himself from using Harry's name after looking into his unfriendly eyes.

"Hmm…" Harry mused. "So, we are using last names, are we? Well that puts me in a bit of a spot. You don't consider yourself a Weasley, not that you are worthy of being called a Weasley, of course. So what should I call you?"

Harry gazed at Percy coldly and Percy squirmed under his penetrating gaze.

"Hmm… I've got it. I'll just call you Weatherby, shall I? That's what Crouch and Fudge called you, didn't they? And I didn't hear you correct them. Perhaps that's what you've changed your last name to?"

Percy sighed exasperatedly. "What do you want, Mr. Potter?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I am interrupting something?" Harry asked looking around innocently, as if to see if there were any centaurs waiting to meet with Percy.

"I see that you are quite free today, Weatherby," Harry said with a smirk.

"Will you _please_ state your business?" Percy snapped.

"Oh, I have no business here," Harry calmly stated.

"Then kindly tell me what are you doing down here?" Percy said irately. He looked to be near the end of his patience.

"Oh, I just came here to gloat," Harry said with a large, pleased smile.

"_To gloat?"_ Percy asked blankly.

"Yes, Weatherby, to gloat," Harry said taking a seat in the only chair in the room besides Percy's. "It amuses me to see the great, clever, ambitious, Percy Weasley tumble down from his lofty perch as junior assistant, to the Minister of Magic himself, no less, to the position of a lowly clerk in Centaur Liaisons."

Percy went red. "I wouldn't have thought that you were the kind of person to do such a thing, Mr. Potter," Percy said quietly.

Harry could see that he was making a great effort to control his temper.

"No?" Harry asked surprised. "But I thought I was a dangerous, criminal, imbalanced lunatic. Surely gloating is a very minor flaw in my so _obviously_ black character. But then you never were very good at recognizing the signs, were you, Percy?"

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?" Percy snapped.

"You want me to list it for you?" Harry asked coolly. "Well, for one, you couldn't recognize that your boss, who you spent so much time with, was under the Imperius curse. Second, you thought that your family was imbalanced to listen to Dumbledore all of last year. Thirdly, you thought that Dolores Umbridge was a… what was that?... Oh yes! _A_ _delightful_ _woman_. Fourth, you thought that Fudge was God's gift to mankind. Shall I continue?"

Percy's shoulders slumped. "If you are done gloating would you kindly leave," Percy said quietly.

"Oh, I'll leave. But, first, I just have a few things to say to you," Harry said carelessly.

"I don't want to hear _anything_ you have to say," Percy said looking up angrily.

"Oh, but you'll listen," Harry snarled. "You'll listen even if I have to tie you to that chair."

Percy opened his mouth to challenge Harry's statement but as his eyes met those of Harry's, he quailed. His eyes were dark with rage and barely leashed anger.

"All of last year, when you were behaving like such an ass, I thought it was Fudge's influence. Somewhere I had thought that you genuinely didn't realize that Voldemort was back. Of course, it shows what an idiot you are for believing Fudge instead of Dumbledore, but I won't go there. I had thought that if you had even the slightest bit of decency in you you'd have gone to your parents on your knees and apologized for your stupidity. But you didn't go back, did you? Why is that Percy?"

"It's none of your business," Percy yelled.

"I'm making it my business," Harry yelled back. "Because your Mum, _Merlin only knows why,_ is constantly crying because she is so worried about you. I know that it doesn't matter to you, but it matters to me. That's why I have made it _my_ distasteful duty to come see you."

"Oh, get off it," Percy said angrily. "If they cared for me they wouldn't have gotten me thrown in here."

Harry stared at him in disbelief. "You moron! You should thank them that you are even _in_ the Ministry. Amelia Bones wanted to chuck you out, and I really don't blame her, as you are _completely_ incompetent. Your Dad went and asked her not to and she reluctantly agreed. But she wouldn't have you in any of the important positions, so that's why you're here. Your Dad did that for you _despite_ your behaviour of last year."

"You're lying," Percy shouted.

"You had better think twice before you call me a liar, Percy. Or else you'll be on the receiving end of a broken jaw," Harry said clenching his fists in anger.

Percy looked away but not before Harry caught several expressions cross his face that he unsuccessfully tried to hide. Disbelief, surprise, guilt and sorrow.

"You really are so undeserving of their love, Percy. You betrayed them at a time when they needed your support most. And after all they did for you! Years of scrimping and denying themselves to clothe you, feed you, school you, give you everything you wanted. And what did you do it for? Power? Money? You were willing to lick Fudge's boots for that?"

Percy didn't answer but Harry went on.

"It's your pride, isn't it? You're too proud to go back and admit that you were wrong? How low can you fall, Percy? You are scared to apologize to your parents? How did the hat _ever_ put you in Gryffindor?"

"Just go, _please go_," Percy said brokenly.

"Oh, I'll go. But just remember these last words of mine, Percy. You think there's plenty of time. You think your parents will always be there. They won't. There is a war going on and your parents are right in the thick of it. Are you aware that your father nearly died last year?"

"Died? What do you mean nearly died?" Percy yelped, looking up in alarm.

Harry laughed bitterly. "Figures! What I _mean_, Percy, is that last year, when you had your head shoved up Fudge's arse, your Dad was attacked by a large snake that was possessed by Voldemort. The snake nearly managed to kill him."

"Why wasn't I told about this?" Percy asked in a horrified tone.

Harry shrugged. "Everybody figured that you wouldn't care. Would they have been wrong?"

Percy bowed his head in shame.

"One day you might find that it is too late to apologize to your parents. You are so crazy for power and money. They mean nothing, Percy. Power changes hands in minutes. Fortunes are made and lost overnight. But if your parents die you will never get them back. Nobody in the world is going to love you as much as them. You don't deserve their love, but they still love you unconditionally," Harry continued forcefully.

Harry turned around to walk to the door. As he was exiting he turned around and glanced at Percy. "I fully expect that you'll ignore what I've just said. Mark my words, someday you will cry bitter tears over this, and there won't be a damn thing you or anybody else will be able to do about it. Good bye, Percy."

And with that Harry walked out of the door slamming it shut behind him.

Percy Weasley slumped further into his chair a look of utter misery and defeat on his face.

**OoOoOoO**


	9. A Few Busy Days

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (08)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** Ok I'm not making any money out of this and J.K owns it all. The only thing I'm getting is a lot of fun and reviews. But the latter are few and far between (Hint, hint)

**Thanks again to Sharon for the lovely work she is doing. **

**Tricia thank you for your hard work on TDH.**

**Rachael thank you for your excellent rush beta job. Im glad to have you helping me.**

**OoOoOoO**

**A Few Busy Days**

**OoOoOoO**

Harry was sitting and writing a particularly bothersome Potions essay on Calming Potions for McGonagall. She had asked for it to be three feet long; so far he had barely written two feet, and that was in large, spaced out handwriting.

He opened his worn copy of _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi,_ looking for the effect of unicorn hair in the scintillating potion.

The floor was strewn with crumpled parchment, evidence of his previous efforts. Several thick books were open in front of him from which he constantly cross referenced.

He added the bit about Unicorn hair and then flipped the pages of his _A Guide to Advanced Potions_ to check up about the addictive qualities of the Calming Potions and the side effects of drinking the potion after consuming Alcohol.

Harry's routine had been really hectic for the past several days. He had made progress on his Occlumency training with Dumbledore. For the first time, he was able to block him, although he couldn't hold him off for more than a minute. But he knew that this meant that he was fast becoming good at it. Blocking Dumbledore, even for a minute, was a very big achievement.

Dumbledore had told him to start sorting and categorizing his memories and thoughts, and Harry did this faithfully every night. It was a long and lengthy process, but he was making progress with it. He found that having his memories sorted helped him in multiple ways. His recollection of facts and details was much faster, he was able to learn new things with greater ease and having a clear and concise grip on his thoughts and memories enabled him to think much more logically and practically. He could now spot small details that he would have missed previously.

He had again gotten that strange feeling that he was missing something vitally important while he had been sorting the memory of Voldemort's rebirth. It was frustrating to him, as he couldn't grasp exactly what it was. It was like something that was just barely out of his reach, teasing him and his inability to see it.

He was making progress in Transfiguration too, and though McGonagall was never one for praise and undue shows of emotion, he knew that she was pleased with him. They had made rapid progress on self transfigurations and she was going to start working with Harry on the Animagus Transformation and Conjuration soon.

While Professor McGonagall was very stingy with praise, tiny little Professor Flitwick couldn't stop praising Harry on his quick grasp of the various hexes and jinxes. He was also pleased when Harry quickly picked up on the advanced shield charms that he taught him. They had begun learning some of the more powerful hexes and their counter curses for the past week.

Harry had also surprised himself and McGonagall with his Potions work. He found that Potions wasn't so bad without the hawk nosed, greasy haired potions master constantly hovering above him, and had spent quite a lot of time improving his potions brewing skills.

He found that one of his weak points was the preparation of his Potions ingredients. He was often sloppy in his measuring, shredding and chopping of them and it affected his potion. He spent a great deal of time trying to counter this side affect. Also, his new Potions books helped him to learn about the most commonly occurring mistakes in the brewing of Potions – _Something Snape simply had them learn from experience._

He had quickly learnt that certain ingredients had to be handled very carefully. In his _Potions for Beginners_ book there had been an entire list of the most common potion mistakes made. Things like reactions from adding certain things at wrong times, what ingredients reacted violently when mixed with another, the reason for stirring a potion a certain way, how to properly control the temperature of the potion, and a lot of other useful tips. Harry wasted no time in memorizing these.

His sessions with the Aurors were his favorite times. He was vastly improving his dueling, and while he still couldn't beat Tonks or any of the Aurors, he was now as good as or even better than any seventh year at Hogwarts. His Martial arts training had improved his reflexes tremendously and his Occlumency sessions had made him able to recall the various jinxes and hexes he knew with great rapidity. The only thing he lacked was experience, and he was rapidly gaining this.

He had also been learning how to Apparate from Kingsley, and had picked this up very fast. But he was still having trouble trying to apparate soundlessly, as a few of the more powerful Aurors and Dumbledore could. His Apparation noise, while not as great as Fred and George's loud cracks, was still loud enough to give himself away if he wanted to arrive stealthily. Also, he was working on lowering the time it took him to Apparate. Right now it took him a little less than a second to Apparate from one point to another. But Kingsley and Mad Eye could do the same in one-thirtieth of a second, and he knew that Dumbledore was fast enough to make it appear that he Apparated without any apparent time lapse.

Harry knew that Dumbledore's time was probably closer to one-hundredth of a second; fast enough that a human eye could almost never catch it.

His Martial Arts training was going very well too. He had started practicing with the 'Bokken' sword two sessions a week with Sean. He also started attending three sessions of Taekwondo in a week.

Taekwondo was very different to Aikido, and he would have probably muddled up the rules of the two, with very _drastic_ consequences. But again his Occlumency came to his rescue, allowing him to separate the two memories and learn both of the martial arts at the same time.

With all of this, he also kept himself busy reading the various books he had obtained. He made a great headway with the book Dumbledore had sent him and had also started reading the book on the Unforgivables and the books on dueling techniques.

The book on the Unforgivables had really proved useful. It was very interesting to learn how the curses actually worked.

Harry had been very interested to learn how the Cruciatus curse actually worked. It was based on a mental attack on the mind of the victim. The curse was _immensely_ powerful and when it hit the victim, it broke through their mental barriers and caused a suggestion of extreme pain to be planted in the victim's mind. The curse worked so fast that it was impossible to put up one's mental shields in time, and when it hit the victim, it caused pain of such magnitude that it was impossible to put the shields back up again to block the curse.

The suggestion of pain was made so powerful by the sheer hate of the caster that fueled it, and it caused the nerve endings of the body to sensitize to such a degree that even air hitting the skin was excruciatingly painful. The pain only got worse by the passing second until the brain was finally overwhelmed by it, and broke down.

The next section that Harry read left him stunned. It was on the Killing Curse.

The Killing Curse, like the Cruciatus, used extreme negative emotion to power it. That was probably the reason that most light wizards couldn't cast it.

Harry had suddenly realized that it was probably the reason Dumbledore hadn't used it on the Dark Lord. _Dumbledore couldn't cast it!_

Harry had been stunned by the enormity of this revelation. He suddenly realized that this was the reason that Dumbledore could never fully defeat the Dark Lord. Voldemort was powerful enough to block or get out of the way of most of the spells that Dumbledore could use on him. The only curse that was unblockable was the one that Dumbledore couldn't cast.

Harry's shoulders slumped in defeat as the enormity of the revelation dropped on him like a ton of bricks. The weight on his shoulders had suddenly increased tenfold.

Harry felt suffocated, like the air in the room was pressing down on him, crushing him. He wanted to scream at the injustice of things. _How did they expect him to defeat Voldemort when even Dumbledore couldn't?_

He took a deep breath and viciously cut off this line of thinking. He _couldn't_ think about this, not if he wanted to retain his sanity. He would just do the best he could. He had no time to waste on self pity and doubts.

He numbly skimmed through the rest of the book. The next part went into detail about other dark spells, which, while were not deemed unforgivable by the Ministry, were just as terrible.

Most of the spells were very, very powerful and even most Aurors wouldn't be able to block them. What usually happened was that most shields could only withstand one spell hitting them before they disintegrated completely. The shield took too much power to maintain after that. Also, the power drainage in casting the shield left people even more at the mercy of dark wizards.

Harry wondered how the shields actually worked and whether there was a shield that countered this major problem.

The book on Arithmancy had helped him to find a few answers and only served to pique his interest even more. Arithmancy, as he had learned, was the science of spell designing. It involved a lot of math and a good knowledge of Latin, Greek and Ancient Runes.

Harry had been determined to find out more and he had sent Dobby to Flourish and Blotts to pick up a few more books on Arithmancy and Ancient Runes.

Learning the two subjects was hard work and sometimes Harry found himself in over his head. But it was also oddly satisfying to struggle with the formulas and break down the runes and the spells. He spent nearly all his free time learning the two subjects and was awake long past midnight most nights. He managed to break down a few simple spells like the stunner and disarming spells and this had given him great insights into the two spells and how they worked.

Harry had cursed himself heartily for having wasted years studying Divination with that bat Trelawney, when he could have been studying Arithmancy. It had been _too_ much time wasted as far as he was concerned.

All these activities frustrated Dobby to no end, as he was unable to make Harry properly rest. Dobby was aware that his task was to take care of his beloved Harry Potter and make sure he ate properly and took care of himself. But try as he might, he couldn't get Harry to see reason.

"I'm fine, Dobby," Harry would say distractedly. "I just need to finish this and then I'll go to sleep."

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the poor house-elf was nearly in hysterics at the thought that he wasn't doing a very good job in caring for Harry.

All this kept Harry extremely busy and he was working like a maniac to try and spend enough time on each activity. Sometimes he thought that even Hermione would have been shocked at his schedule. It became extremely difficult for him to spend any time with his new friends and he found himself politely refusing to go out with them more than once.

Once it got beyond a certain stage, one of them would forcibly drag him out of the house, ignoring all his protests. He grumbled and protested, but he was also pleased at the respite. He enjoyed the time spent with the boys and Pat. Mostly they would just spend time at each other's houses, listening to music or watching a video. But sometimes they went bowling, caught a film at the cinema or drove to the local mall.

The last destination was actually to check out the 'birds.' The three guys strongly denied this of course, much to the delight of Pat, who had a great time teasing them about their utter failure to get any dates.

Harry just laughed at their antics and Sean and Jack's attempts to get him involved in their fruitless attempts.

Sean and Jack had, over the years, developed a technique to attract girls which they thought was _flawless_.

They would wear tight t-shirts to show off their toned muscles and take great care to flex their biceps in creative ways that made it seem they _weren't_ showing off.

Their staged arm wrestling matches was another one of their tricks.

If this failed, they would use the car to impress the girls. "Cars are babe magnets, Harry," Jack told him confidentially.

If all else failed, they had an endless supply of corny pick up lines they would try. The guys, needless to say, weren't very successful and it frustrated them to no end.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry sat on his desk early one morning, reading Ron's latest letter.

_Harry, mate,_

_Congratulations on the OWL results. It still staggers me that the both of us managed to do so well. I mean, eleven OWLs! Who would have expected it? I guess Hermione rubbed off on both of us. I am hearing no end of it from Fred and George. They are going on something awful about being betrayed by us and how maybe the Marauder's map should be given to more worthy people. Honestly, between them and Hermione's nagging to study, I don't know how I'll survive till the start of school. _

_Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about future plans. Do you know what you are going to do? I mean, I know you wanted to become an Auror, but is that still what you want? I dunno… I'm totally undecided. I wish you were here so I would have somebody to talk to about this. Hermione will just take out endless pamphlets, and probably give me a migraine by telling me the small details of every job on the planet, if I ask her. _

_Mum, on the other hand, will most probably have dragons if I even say the word 'Auror.' If she had her way, I'd probably be working in the Ministry, probably someplace safe, like the 'Department for the Control of Nifflers.' _

_I guess if I could get into Potions then I could become an Auror. But TWO more years of Snape!!! Is anything worth going through that?_

_Sod it all. I need to decide soon, as I will need to choose what subjects I need to take. Do you have any ideas about this, mate?_

_Write soon,_

_Ron._

Harry rubbed his temple and went over Ron's letter in his mind. He could understand what he was going through, as he himself wasn't very sure as to what he wanted to do with his life. The both of them had always decided together and followed each other in their choice of subjects. Of course, it had been somewhat like one blind man leading another, as neither of them had the slightest clue as to what the right choice was.

He remembered the both of them taking Divination and shunning Arithmancy, when now he realized it had been a big blunder. Back then it had just been fun and games and Divination had seemed a lot easier choice than Arithmancy.

He supposed that there was no real advice he could give Ron. He would have to decide for himself.

_Ron,_

_I know what you mean. I myself don't really know what I want to do after school. I suppose it will all depend as to whether Old Snakeface is still around when we graduate. I really can't say what subjects you should take. I am taking Charms, Transfigurations, DADA, Potions and Herbology. I guess you should definitely take Charms, Transfigurations and DADA regardless of what you want to do. Potions… well I don't know… I really don't want to take it either, but I guess it's important to learn it._

_I guess no one can really tell us what we should do. This is one thing that maybe we have to figure out by ourselves. Think about what you see yourself doing ten years from now, mate, and maybe you'll get a clue as to what you want to do._

_I hope this helps a bit. You know, maybe listening to Hermione won't be a totally bad idea. I mean, she could probably give you fifty ideas on what you could do. Can't harm you to at least listen to her. _

_Take care mate,_

_Harry._

_P.S. – Is there really a department for the Control of Nifflers?_

He gave the letter to Hedwig and hurried off to his Aikido class.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry was sitting in his room in the evening, working on his Arithmancy, when the door bell chimed. Harry immediately rushed downstairs. There was a good chance that it was one of the guys or Pat and Aunt Petunia would just tell them that he wasn't home.

He got to the door before his Aunt and pulled it open to find a tall man dressed in tight, black leather pants and a faded black t-shirt standing outside. His long red hair was pulled into a neat ponytail and a sharp dragon fang was hanging from his ear. He carried a slim black briefcase in one of his hands.

"Hello, Harry," Bill said with a grin.

"Hi, Bill. So you got transferred back here then?" Harry asked with a broad smile.

"Yes, I don't know what happened, but suddenly the Gringotts High Council decided that I was too valuable to waste out in Egypt. I was called back so fast that I think I made skid marks while Apparating," Bill said with a wink.

"Great! I never thought it would work, but it was worth a try at any rate," Harry said with a grin.

"Are you kidding? The Goblins were nearly drooling at being given a chance to handle the Black and Potter fortunes. My application to come back had been rejected a day previously, then suddenly I get an urgent summons to return to England," Bill said looking at Harry gratefully.

Harry suddenly noticed Aunt Petunia shooting Bill and him disapproving glances from the hallway.

"Um… Bill, do you think we could go somewhere else and talk?" Harry asked nervously.

"Sure, no problem, Harry," Bill said quietly. He too had noticed Petunia Dursley's looks.

As they walked towards the park, Bill glanced at Harry. "They still giving you a hard time?"

"No, not really," Harry shrugged. "We just ignore each other most of the time."

"Why are you still here, Harry?" Bill asked curiously. "I know Dumbledore has given you permission to come to Headquarters. Also, Ron, Hermione and Ginny have been talking about nothing but you since I arrived. They really miss you."

"I miss them too, Bill," Harry sighed. "I have joined Aikido classes in a place nearby. Erm…Aikido is a form of Martial arts…"

"I know what it is, Harry," Bill said cutting him off. "Living with Dad for so long rubs off."

Harry nodded. "It's really important that I learn how to defend myself, Bill. That night at the Ministry… I realized_ just_ how helpless I was. Those Death Eaters were literally toying with us. We only survived because we had that damn prophecy with us, or we wouldn't have lasted five minutes."

Bill did not say anything more on the subject. "Whatever you're doing must be working, Harry. You're looking good."

Harry grinned. "Thanks, I have a slave driver of a partner to thank for that. And Dobby, of course, for some reason, thinks that I need to eat _twice_ as much as Ron."

As they neared the park, Harry noticed that they were getting a lot of stares. He also noticed that most of them were from girls.

"Do you cause such a reaction wherever you go?" Harry smirked.

"I think a fair amount of those looks were directed at you, Potter," Bill said with an amused smile.

Harry snorted.

"Your confidence in yourself is astonishing," Bill chuckled.

"Oh, get off it," Harry said sourly. "I don't know what everybody is on about nowadays. You'd think I have suddenly transformed into a model for Gladrags Wizarding Wear."

"Give it time and _that_ might happen too," Bill said wickedly. "But for now, I hear Witch Weekly is holding their annual most charming smile and most eligible bachelor contests. You might be a shoo in for that. What with your fame, looks and wealth…"

Harry chose to ignore him.

They looked for a place to sit that would be away from prying eyes and finally sat beneath a large, shady oak tree in a corner of the park.

"Right… now, we seriously need to discuss how to invest your money, Harry. Everything is a big mess right now and it needs a lot of sorting out," Bill said, removing a thick file from the slim leather briefcase he carried.

"Ok, go on, I'm sure you have something planned," Harry said, looking at Bill attentively.

"Hmm… well Sirius left you 10,000 shares in Nimbus, Inc. and 10,000 shares in Smith and Thorn Publications. I suggest that you leave both as they are. They are giving you good returns. Smith and Thorn Publications own the _Daily Prophet_ and _Witch Weekly_. It might be a good idea to keep them, if only for that. You have quite a lot of shares from the Potter vault too. 10,000 shares of Bertie Botts every flavor beans, a further 10,000 shares of Smith and Thorn Publications – that makes you quite a major shareholder, by the way, and 10,000 shares of Migg's Magical All purpose Cleaner. I suggest you keep all these shares. They are sound investments."

Harry nodded. "Sounds fine to me. And besides, if the shares do nothing more for me other than keeping the _Prophet_ and _Witch Weekly_ in line, it will be worth it."

Bill wrote something in a small notebook and looked up. "All right, now, as for the money, I think it would be a good idea to put some of it in the long term fixed deposits that Gringotts offers. Also, it would be a good idea to invest a bit more in shares."

"Ok, I suppose you can take care of what and what not to invest in? Because I haven't a clue," Harry said sheepishly.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Bill said with a smile. "Most of the blue chip companies are pretty solid investments and it's highly unlikely that you'll lose any money on them. And we can sell them off fast if the shares start dropping."

Harry ran a hand through his hair. He had heard the terms 'shares' and 'blue chip companies' from various rumblings of Uncle Vernon over the years, but he had absolutely no idea as to what any of it actually meant.

"Right, now, as to your properties, Sirius left you a small island off the coast of Malta and No. 12 Grimmauld place. What do you want to do about them?"

Harry looked pensive. "Well, I guess the Order is still using No. 12 as their Headquarters, aren't they?"

When Bill nodded, Harry continued. "Leave that as it is then. As to the island… I really don't know. What do you suggest?"

Bill looked at the file and pondered. "Well, the island has a large manor on it and the beach is supposed to be really beautiful. I suppose we could have the house checked over and renovate it a bit and then rent it out during the summers. It will fetch good money."

Harry looked at Bill bemusedly. "You know, I can hardly believe I am talking about manor houses and Islands near Malta and so many shares. It just seems so unbelievable..."

Bill gave him a look of half sympathy and half amusement. "It _is_ a bit too much, I agree. But believe me, it is better to have it, than _not _have it. And all this money hasn't come overnight. It's there because of hard work and wise investments by your family and Sirius' over generations. And they meant it to last a long time. This money is meant to last for your children and their children and their children and so on."

Harry nodded reluctantly.

"I guess now would not be a good time to go into the Potter properties then?" Bill smirked.

Harry's head shot up so fast that he got a crick in his neck. "_What?!?_ Potter properties! What Potter properties?"

"Well, there is the house in Godric's Hollow… but that was destroyed. The land still belongs to you, though. Then, there is the Potter Mansion near the Isle of Skye."

"Potter Mansion? Isle of Skye?" Harry sputtered.

"I _knew_ I should have left that for later," Bill muttered under his breath.

"Why weren't my parents staying there then? Why at Godric's Hollow?" Harry said finally.

"I really wouldn't know. I suppose because it was fairly well known and it was easier to hide in their summer cottage in Godric's Hollow, which was not as well known," Bill offered hesitantly. "Also, the larger the place, the harder it is to put under the Fidelius charm. A place that large would need someone immensely powerful to pull it off. Probably only Dumbledore could have managed it and maybe not even him. But there could have been other reasons than that."

Harry sighed. "I suppose I'll have to ask Remus."

"I think he _would_ know more than me," Bill agreed.

"Just leave the both of them for now. I can't decide anything until I visit the properties. But I suppose I wouldn't want to sell or lease them anyway," Harry said quietly.

Bill made another note in his notebook.

"So, are we done?" Harry asked hopefully.

"There are just two more things," Bill said, holding up two fingers.

Harry groaned.

"One, Mum and Dad found out about the gift you gave them. They told me to tell you that under _NO_ circumstances can they accept it, and you are to take it back immediately."

Harry waved it away. "No way! I'm not taking it back."

"Very well," Bill said, making yet another note in the book. "You can handle Mum, then."

Harry grinned. With any luck he would not have to face Mrs. Weasley's anger anytime soon. He would only be meeting her on the train platform and he could most probably manage to avoid the topic for those few minutes. After a few months, she would have cooled down enough to allow him to convince them to accept it.

"Secondly, I found out that there have been regular deposits made to your account for the past few months. I investigated a little bit and found out that the twins were making them. Apparently, they have made you a fifty percent partner in their shop. They heard that I would be visiting you today and asked me to give you the papers to sign."

Harry opened his mouth to furiously protest, when Bill held up a hand. "They told me to tell you that if you do not sign, they will put the money in your account anyway."

"Well then make sure that they are unable to make any deposits into my account," Harry said irritably.

"I wouldn't advise that," Bill warned. "The twins would probably start a prank war on you if you did something like that."

"But…but… but didn't you tell them about the amount of money I have already?" Harry protested weakly.

"I did, but they were adamant. Look, I'll be honest with you, Harry. The twins are really too irresponsible. It will be good for them to have somebody to keep things in control," Bill said seriously.

"You have got to be kidding!" Harry said in amazement, looking at Bill as if he had sprouted two horns and was dancing the hula. "You _really_ think I'm so dumb as to tell them how to run their shop?"

'_Fred and George would probably make me their test dummy for their latest inventions if I did anything of the sort,'_ Harry thought in horror.

Bill sighed. "Well, as your manager, it would be my responsibility to keep them in line for you," he said casually.

Harry smiled slowly. "That's great! Better they prank you than me."

Bill frowned. "Thank you for caring so much, Harry. But you should know that I expect hazard pay for all of this."

Harry quickly signed the papers and handed them back to Bill.

"So, how is the shop doing anyway?" Harry inquired.

Bill frowned. "Not very well I'm afraid. Both of them are saying that business will pick up once the school term starts, but I don't see it improving by much."

Harry was shocked. "But I thought it was doing great. They have come up with some really neat pranks."

"Yes, but several things are going against them. First, they have no money for advertising. Last year they did so well because of that prank war they waged on Umbridge and because they were there in Hogwarts to promote their products. But now that school is over, they are forgotten. Like they say in business, out of sight is out of mind."

Bill paused, collecting his thoughts. "Secondly, they don't have a name yet like Zonko's that has been there for decades. People don't really know too much about their products, while Zonko's are tried and tested. And lastly, while Fred and George are brilliant at inventing stuff, they are absolutely hopeless at packaging and promoting their items. They really need someone to handle all of that for them."

Harry frowned. "It doesn't look good for them."

"No, it doesn't. Mum is waiting for the shop to fail so that she can get them to work in the Ministry," Bill replied, shaking his head wearily.

"Fred and George work in the Ministry?" Harry said incredulously. "They'll probably blow the whole place up."

"I know. I don't think Amelia Bones will be too chuffed with the idea either."

Harry had a thoughtful look on his face. "Look, your mother is a wonderful woman, and I love her. But Fred and George are ideally suited for what they are doing. I think it would be tragic for the shop to close down."

Bill looked at Harry shrewdly. "What's on your mind?"

So Harry told him…

"I don't know," Bill said finally. "It just might work. But do you want to take such a risk with your money?"

"Some things are worth the risk. And I have a feeling that the twins are a really good investment to make," Harry said thoughtfully.

"Ok, Harry, I'll get on it right away. I think we might be able to pull it off," Bill said, making another note in his book.

"Ok, _now_ is that all?" Harry said, stretching his stiff muscles.

"Yes, that's all," Bill said snapping his briefcase shut.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry ducked a dangerous looking purple curse and rolled to his side, sending a stunner back at Mad Eye.

"Bloody Hell! Was that the bone crushing spell, Mad Eye?" Tonks asked anxiously from the sidelines.

"It was," Mad Eye said, looking pleased that Tonks had recognized it. He sent a bludgeoning spell at Harry, making him dive desperately to his right to avoid it.

"Are you crazy?" Tonks screamed. "That could _kill_ him if it hits him."

"Yes, that's why he _shouldn't_ let it hit him," Moody said calmly, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. He threw yet another powerful hex at Harry.

"Mad Eye, stop it! You're going to cripple him with those kinds of spells," Tonks yelled frantically, drawing her wand as she saw the previous spell miss Harry by inches.

"It's better that he learns now. The Death Eaters aren't likely to hit him with Cheering Charms," Moody said in an annoyed growl.

Harry wasn't paying attention to any of this as he was too busy trying to avoid the barrage of spells Moody threw at him. The duel was rapidly getting one sided, as Harry was unable to do anything but defend himself. He knew that he had to try something different or else he would lose badly… and probably rather painfully.

He ducked another bludgeoning spell from Moody and raising his wand yelled, '_Mirrior Imago_.'

Suddenly, there were four Harry's standing before Moody. Mad Eye smirked and sent an Asphyxiating spell at the figure in the center.

Harry ducked at the last moment and the spell flew over his head. It had been close, _too_ _close_. He felt the spell burn its way past, bare centimeters over his head. He looked sideways to find the clones had all disappeared.

"Nice try, Potter, but you forget my eye," Moody growled.

Harry _had_ forgotten about the eye. He supposed the invisibility charm wouldn't work either. Damn the bleeding magical eye!

He thought rapidly about what to do and suddenly had an idea that he thought Moody wouldn't anticipate. It was risky but he had run out of options.

So he sidestepped a nasty cutting hex and made his move.

He thought it had almost worked and felt his body fading when he was hit on the leg with a powerful bludgeoning curse. He felt his leg crack and the next moment, he couldn't feel his legs at all.

"HARRY!" Tonks screamed.

"Potter, you stupid idiot! Whatever made you think of Apparating during a duel?" Moody roared.

Harry was too shocked to do or say anything. He looked down at his body and saw that he was missing both his legs. Looking up, he saw them lying halfway across the room.

He had been _splinched!_

"Damn it, Boy! Do you know how dangerous that was? You got _very_ lucky."

Harry looked at him, speechless with shock. _'This was **lucky**? He was splinched and one of his missing legs was fractured. How the **HELL** was that lucky?' _he thought furiously.

"Shut up, Moody, and call someone from the Splinching reversal squad. _And send for a healer too_," Tonks screamed.

Moody limped away to do as she asked, grumbling something about careless fools.

"Um… Tonks, they can fix this, can't they?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Yes, it is repairable. But it could have been very bad, Harry. It is lucky it was just the legs; if any of the organs had been left behind, you could have died," Tonks said, glaring at him.

What followed was a few very painful hours of desplinching Harry and fixing his leg. But it was far from over. After all of that, he then had to face a very irritated Moody.

"Damn it, Boy! Don't you _ever_ use your head?" Moody thundered. "What the hell kind of move was that? Where did you pick it up?"

"Dumbledore," Harry muttered, staring sullenly at the floor.

"Dumbledore!" Moody said in amazement. "You tried to do it because you saw _Dumbledore_ do it?"

Harry nodded.

"You are even more stupid than I thought! The first rule of dueling is to always fight with what you are absolutely sure of. Never try and experiment with things that might potentially fail. If this had happened during a real duel, you would be dead, Potter," Moody growled.

"I know," Harry sighed. "I wouldn't have tried it in a real duel. I just wanted to see whether I could do it. I was trying to find a way to break your attack. I had to try something since nothing else was working.

Moody shook his head. "That's no excuse. You should have stuck with shield charms for now. If you want to try something different, then practice it until you perfect it. Now that you have used that infernal tactic, I want you to practice it till you can do it properly. I want you to practice your Apparition until your time is down enough for you to avoid getting hit."

"All right," Harry said quietly.

"And work on your Apparition sound too. If I hear that loud crack you keep making while Apparating by the end of the month, I'll personally wring your neck. You need to work harder, lad. You need to concentrate more," Moody said urgently, his voice lowering.

Harry nodded.

"Oh, and Potter," Moody said thoughtfully. "Get down and give me fifty on your knuckles for your stunt today."

Harry spluttered indignantly.

"NOW!" Moody roared.

Harry reluctantly fell to the ground and started the pushups.

Tonks and Kingsley were watching all of this from a corner of the room and both wore grins on their faces. Most new Auror recruits would get the same treatment from Moody, and he had apparently decided that Harry would be trained the same as any Auror recruit was.

Harry got up from the floor slowly, feeling every bone in his body aching. He wanted nothing more than to go home have a hot shower and then go to sleep.

"Come on, stud muffin, let's get you home," Tonks said jovially.

Harry glared at her.

"Hey, don't give me that look," Tonks said ruffling his hair playfully. "I didn't ask you to Apparate while dueling Mad Eye."

"All right, OK? So I screwed up. Now please, just let's go," Harry said with a scowl.

"Ooh! Doesn't little Harrykins look adorable when he's angry?" Tonks said, giving him a loud smacking kiss on his cheek.

Harry whacked her on her shoulder. "Don't call me Harrykins, _Nymphadora_, and learn to act your age for once in your life."

Tonks blew a raspberry at him and stuck her tongue out.

Harry rolled his eyes at her and walked towards the fireplace to floo to Arabella Figg's house.

**OoOoOoO**

The dinner table at No. 12 Grimmauld place was packed with the Weasleys and several Order members.

"So, how is he, Bill, dear?" Molly asked.

"He's fine, Mum. He's looking quite good, and well fed. Also, it was a pleasure to see him in clothes that fit for once."

"I still can't believe he went and did that!" Hermione exclaimed. "I mean… for Harry to actually use his fame to get something done. He normally _hates_ doing anything like that."

"Well, I don't know why he did it," Bill said shrugging. "I wasn't even aware that he knew I was trying to get transferred back."

"I told him," Ginny said softly.

"You asked Harry to try and get Bill transferred back?" Ron asked incredulously.

"No, you stupid prat! I _told_ him that Bill was trying to get transferred back. I would never have asked him to use his influence like that," Ginny said, tossing her hair in annoyance.

"Did he agree to take it back, Bill?" Arthur Weasley asked his eldest son.

"No, he didn't Dad. He absolutely refused to even talk about it," Bill said with a grin.

"What's this? Take what back?" Ron asked curiously.

"Nothing, Ron, dear. It's just something between Harry and us," Molly said quickly.

Ron looked highly annoyed at this. "Look, what's with all these secrets anyway? Nobody will tell us what he's doing. He won't tell us either and all of you are hiding stuff from us."

"No one's hiding anything from you, Ron," Bill snapped. "He is in Privet Drive because he's doing some Martial Arts training."

"Martial Arts? What's that?" Ron asked skeptically.

"It's a muggle form of self defense, Ron," Hermione said excitedly. "Why is he learning that, Bill?"

"Well, I don't know exactly why _he's_ learning it, but from what I know of the sport, it has various benefits. It improves your reflexes, teaches you control, helps you to relax, and of course, teaches you how to defend yourself," Bill said.

"Why would he need to learn to defend himself like a Muggle? He's got a wand, doesn't he?" Ron said with a frown.

"Ron, you _really_ need to change your way of thinking. You can easily be disarmed in a fight, and then what will you do? If you know other ways to defend yourself, you are not completely helpless," Charlie said exasperatedly.

"So, did he sign the papers, Bill?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, he did," Bill said with a grin. "But now, since he is a fifty percent partner in your shop and I am his manager, you guys have to answer to me if your shop isn't doing well."

"Great! Why don't you come on down for an inspection tomorrow?" George said brightly.

"Yeah, we have a couple of new products we want to _introduce_ you to," Fred echoed.

Bill chose not to respond to them. Harry would definitely need to give him hazard pay.

"How are his relatives treating him, Bill?" Ginny asked anxiously.

"Well, he says that they don't bother him. Something about they ignore him and he them. But I saw his Aunt giving him a few dirty looks when I arrived today. So he asked if I would mind if we talked outside. So, no, I don't think he is having a very great time down there at any rate."

Ginny looked extremely guilty at hearing this.

Bill looked at her shrewdly and wanted to say something, but then he thought it was best if he didn't comment.

"The poor dear! I can't understand how anybody could be so horrible to that sweet boy," Molly fretted.

"Well, I guess the party will cheer him up a bit," Hermione said eagerly.

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot to ask. Have you two made the list of invitees then?" Molly asked Hermione and Ginny.

"Yes, Mum," Ginny said. "It's coming to quite a large number though. Where is the party to be held? It can't be held here at Headquarters obviously, and the Burrow would be too small."

Molly smiled. "Dumbledore gave us permission to use the Great Hall at Hogwarts."

"That's perfect!" Hermione squealed. "It is large enough to hold everyone and we don't have to worry about being too noisy."

"Hogwarts! Great! We have a few things that might liven up the party," Fred said with a grin.

"Yeah, the new line of spellworks should be good," George put in.

"Maybe we could work on some party hats," Fred said excitedly.

"Great idea, brother mine! Turn anybody who wears one into a canary?"

"Well… not everyone. Let's try different pranks for each one. We don't want to be too obvious. Besides, it's our partner's birthday, we can't be mediocre, can we?"

"Right you are. We should try something unique."

"You two will do nothing of the sort," Molly shrieked. "If you two do anything to ruin this party, and I mean _anything_, you will really regret it."

"Ruin the party?" Fred said in an injured tone.

"How could you think we'd do something like that?" George asked.

"And to ruin _Harry's_ party?"

"Harry, who is our partner?"

"Our dear investor?"

"Who we love sooo much."

"In a strictly friendly kind of way, of course,"

"Yeah, do you think we'd ever prank him?"

"YES!" came the resounding reply from everyone around the table.

"Damn, they know us too well," Fred muttered.

"Too right," George said sadly.

"Oh, ignore them, Mum," Ginny said with a frown.

Molly nodded. "Ok, now since the hall is so large, we will need help decorating it. We probably won't be able to do it on our own."

"Oh, don't worry about that, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said excitedly. "A little extra effort will be worth it just to see his face when he sees it all. And if all of us chip in, it will hardly take any time."

"What about the food?" Ron asked interestedly.

"Do you _ever_ think about anything but food, Ron?" Ginny groaned.

"Well, you can't have a party without food, can you?" Ron said defensively.

"The House-elves are going to be taking care of the food and I'm making the cake," Molly answered Ron. "And the…"

They were suddenly interrupted by a noise from the living room. Bill, Charlie, Remus and Arthur immediately drew their wands, cautiously moving towards the door.

"Hello, is anybody there?" a voice called out.

"Percy?" Molly gasped. "How did he get here?"

"Let's not be hasty, Molly," Remus said quietly. "Let's make sure it's Percy first."

"In here," Arthur called out. "Come in with your hands in front of you and don't try any tricks."

Percy slowly walked towards them. "W-w-what's going on? Why are you all pointing your wands at me?"

"How did you get here?" Bill asked sharply.

"I… I went to the Burrow and no one was there. So I went to see Dumbledore and he sent me here," Percy said awkwardly.

Arthur lowered his wand. "What do you want, Percy?"

"I just wanted to… to apologize," Percy said softly, looking at the floor.

"More like you wanted to see if you could get Dad to get you back in favour with the Minister," Charlie sneered.

"N-n-no, it isn't like that," Percy stammered. "Though I can't blame you for thinking that."

"Why all of a sudden, Perce? After so long?" Bill asked coldly.

"Hush now, Bill. That hardly matters. As long as he realizes his mistake, it's all right," Molly said, moving forward to take her estranged son in her arms.

She was stopped by Arthur's outstretched arm. "No, Molly, it _does_ matter. I want to know as well why he has come now, of all times."

"But he's our _son,_ Arthur," Molly protested.

Arthur Weasley's eyes were hard and unfeeling. "No, Molly, I want to know why he did it. To know why he's come back so suddenly. Why he didn't come once he knew he was wrong all along. I want to know what caused him to betray us like that."

Percy cringed at his words.

"I want to know…" Arthur said softly. _"Where we failed as parents."_

"Please, don't say that…" Percy pleaded. "It was never your fault. I was wrong. I was too stubborn and full of myself to realize it. But I couldn't go on like that. When… when Harry told me what happened last year… how you almost died… I just had to…." He broke down and started sobbing.

"I'm… I'm so, _so_ sorry. I don't deserve your forgiveness but I just had to… had to tell you."

Molly pushed her husband's hand away and pulled Percy into a tight hug. She too started crying.

"Do you know what you put us through?" she sobbed. "How much you hurt us with your behavior?"

"I know… I promise… I promise never to do anything like this ever again," Percy choked out.

"You had better not, son," Arthur said, pulling his wayward son into a brief hug. "Or else I'll set Fred and George on you."

"How can you forgive that traitor?" Ron yelled. "After all he did?"

Fred and George were also looking at Percy furiously.

"Yeah, what happened Perce? Fudge disown you?" George spat out.

"Yeah, or is it that you just miss somebody to kiss you goodnight now that Umbridge is in Azkaban?" Fred snarled.

"You know what this worm wrote in a letter to me? You want to know what he wrote about you and Dumbledore? What he wrote about Harry?" Ron yelled, joining in.

"Calm down, Ron," Arthur said softly.

"I will not calm down!" Ron roared. "Insane, was he? Imbalanced and violent, wasn't he?" he said advancing on Percy.

"I'm sorry," Percy said sorrowfully, his eyes glistening with tears. "There's no excuse for what I did."

"No, there isn't. And you had better apologize to Harry about it," Arthur said sternly. "Now, Ron, Fred and George, just calm down. He made a mistake and he's apologized for it. Whatever he did, he is still your brother and still family. Give him a chance to show he's sorry."

Ron looked like he wanted to say more, but he calmed down after seeing the stern expression in his father's eyes. He suddenly turned on his heel and walked off. A second later, his footsteps were heard as he stomped up the stairs to his bedroom.

In all the commotion and shock at Percy's appearance, they had forgotten the portrait of Mrs. Black and she had started screaming at the top of her voice.

Arthur Weasley sighed, and he and Remus walked off to take care of the portrait. Percy was going to go through a rough patch with his brothers for some time at least.

"What do you mean 'when Harry told you?'" Ginny asked softly, when the portrait had been shut up.

Nearly everybody had forgotten about that and Ginny's question made them all curious.

"Well, a few days ago, he came to see me in my office and he yelled at me something terrible. He's really quite scary when he's angry, by the way… Well, after he left, a few of the things he told me got me thinking and I realized just how big a mistake I had made," Percy said with a bitter smile.

Arthur and Molly exchanged a look and this was mirrored by Bill, Charlie and the twins.

Ginny voiced the thought going through all their heads. "He does get around, doesn't he?"

**OoOoOoO**


	10. A Very Harry Birthday

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (09)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all, he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort, he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** Ok, I'm not making any money out of this and J.K. owns it all. The only thing I'm getting is a lot of fun and reviews. But the latter are few and far between (Hint, hint)

Sharon you are a sweetie. A thousand blessings upon your head.

**This is a very special chapter for me and so I'll dedicate it to a very special person – My friend and second beta – Rachael (Rdprice 29)**

**OoOoOoO**

**A Very Harry Birthday**

**OoOoOoO**

Harry landed gently in Dumbledore's office.

A month of practice using the Portkey had made him familiar with traveling by this method, and he had learnt to keep his balance while landing.

He looked around the office and saw that Dumbledore was not in and he sat down in a chair to wait for the Headmaster to return. For the lack of anything better to do, he started to look around the room, at the old and musty tomes, that probably held knowledge of immensely powerful and little known magic in them, the various magical objects, the portraits of the former Headmasters, and finally Dumbledore's Phoenix companion. Fawkes was looking right at him through his intelligent, black eyes.

"Hello," Harry said with a smile. "Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?"

Fawkes trilled and flew down from his perch onto Harry's shoulder, where he nibbled at his ear and crooned lovingly.

Harry laughed delightedly and stroked Fawkes' velvety soft, scarlet and gold plumage.

"I don't suppose you know where Prof. Dumbledore is, do you?" Harry asked finally.

Fawkes cocked his head and then he suddenly flew up and hovered over Harry, looking down at him and nudging with his head.

Harry wondered what Fawkes was trying to say to him. "Um… what are you saying? You want me to follow you? Is that it?" Harry asked softly.

Fawkes chirped as if to say 'yes' and flew towards the door. Harry got up and quickly followed the swiftly moving Phoenix.

He wondered where Fawkes was taking him as he followed him through Hogwarts' corridors and down the stairways. Had Dumbledore told Fawkes to bring him to wherever he was? Or was Fawkes leading him of his own violation?

He realized that Fawkes was taking him down in the general direction of the Great Hall and guessed that's where Dumbledore most probably was.

He was right in his assumption, since Fawkes stopped before the large doors leading into the Great Hall and waited for Harry to catch up.

"Is he in there, Fawkes?" Harry asked, stopping before the hovering Phoenix.

Fawkes chirped affirmatively.

"Ok, thank you," Harry said, as he pushed open the door of the Great Hall slightly.

As he pushed open the door, he thought he heard the sound of a large group of people talking excitedly. This abruptly stopped with the creak of the door opening.

Harry tensed up.

What was going on? For a moment he thought that Voldemort had attacked Hogwarts. But he rejected the thought almost immediately. Voldemort would not attack now as the whole castle it was practically empty, and there was nothing to be gained by attacking an empty school. Secondly, Dumbledore was in the school, and as long as he was there Voldemort wouldn't _dare_ attack Hogwarts.

Harry chanced a glance at Fawkes, who trilled soothingly, and flew into the hall through the small gap in the open door. He waited a second and waited to hear if there would be any more sound. There wasn't. The silence from inside the hall was complete.

He gulped and wondered what to do. Moody would roast him over a pit if he walked into an ambush. But then again, Fawkes had flown in, and he would never lead Harry into danger, _would he?_

'_You are losing it, Potter. Too much time spent around Moody.'_ Harry told himself firmly.

Holding his wand tightly, he opened the door a little wider, and stepped into the Great Hall.

He was nearly blown off his feet by the sound.

"SURPRISE!!!!!"

Harry lowered his wand and gawped at the crowd gathered before him. It seemed _everybody_ he knew was there. The Weasleys, Hermione, Neville, Luna, Dumbledore, Moony, Hagrid, Fleur Delacour, McGonagall, Flitwick, Mundungus, Mad Eye, Tonks, Kingsley, what seemed like _all_ the members of the DA, Angelina, Alicia, Katie, Oliver Wood, Lee Jordan, and quite a few Aurors who he remembered meeting at the Auror Headquarters, and a few other people besides that.

He looked around the hall in amazement. It was decorated beautifully. Streamers were hanging around from every wall. But these were magical streamers and they changed colour every five seconds. Magical confetti was falling to the floor from the ceiling and it disappeared as soon as it touched the floor. Brightly coloured balloons hung from the corners of the room and the wall before him was covered by an enormous red banner which had 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY' written in large gold letters on it.

The overall effect left Harry totally speechless. He hadn't even _remembered_ it was his birthday, and never in his wildest dreams had he ever thought that he would be thrown a party, let alone one of this scale.

As Harry was gawping at the Hall and the decorations, nearly everybody was gawping at _him_. He was dressed casually in form fitting, dark blue jeans and a white polo necked t-shirt that clung to him like a second skin. Over it he had worn his black leather jacket.

A month of vigorous exercising and proper food had done wonders for Harry's physique. He was no longer skinny and had filled out quite a bit. While he wasn't exactly muscular, his body had acquired the firm, toned look of an athlete. His eyes without his glasses were large and exceptionally striking, especially when matched with his colouring and messy, jet black hair.

Ginny Weasley stared at Harry. What had happened to him? He was so different from the small, skinny, boy she remembered from just a month ago. Where was the boy who dressed in shabby clothes that were four sizes too large for him and wore battered round glasses?

The boy standing before her was no longer skinny and had filled out quite a lot. His shoulders had broadened and he was noticeably taller. He looked like he had been literally poured into his jeans and his shirt fit him like a glove, emphasizing his slim, wiry build. She noticed his glasses were gone and his large, gorgeous green eyes, that she had fallen in love with at first sight, stood out against the pale skin of his face.

If she had thought he was good looking before, he was nearly jaw droppingly gorgeous now.

She suddenly realized that she was staring at him, and as she looked around she realized that she wasn't the only one. Nearly every girl in the place was gazing at him speechlessly.

Harry was still unaware of the people staring at him as he walked around looking at the decorations with a baffled, awe filled look. His movements were smooth and graceful and held a coiled energy that was barely contained. It was almost like watching a wild predator stalk his prey.

He was understandably surprised, therefore, he found himself nearly knocked off his feet by somebody hurling themself at him. A second later his vision was blocked by a lot of bushy brown hair and he felt as if his very life was being squeezed out of him.

"Oooh! It's wonderful to see you again, Harry," Hermione squealed. "Happy birthday."

"Let him breathe, Hermione," Ron said, grinning as he came up from behind them.

Hermione finally released him and Ron slapped him on his back. "Happy birthday, mate."

Harry grinned. "Thanks, I had totally forgotten. Merlin! You guys really did all of this for me?"

"Well, unless you know of any other Harry whose birthday it is today… Seriously Harry! _Obviously_ it is for you," Hermione sniffed.

He was abruptly pulled into another tight hug as Molly Weasley reached him. "Happy birthday, dear," she said kissing him gently on his forehead.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said with a shy smile.

Harry was released from her grip and found himself shaking hands with Charlie and Bill, both of whom wished him a happy birthday.

A few flakes of confetti fell on Harry's head and he shook his head to clear it, looking up bemusedly at the ceiling to watch it falling down. It looked like multicoloured flakes of snow and was very beautiful.

When he looked down he noticed Ginny standing before him. She was dressed in a short, white cotton summer dress which had a lovely print of sunflowers on it. The dress barely reached to her knees and Harry found his gaze moving downwards to stare at the long expanse of smooth, pale skin that was exposed. Her long, waist length, fiery red hair was loose and fell down her back, a few strands falling across her face.

She smiled and moved closer to him.

Harry smiled back and was raising his hand to shake hers when she suddenly moved forward and put her arms around his waist, pulling him into a gentle hug.

He was surprised, and for a moment stood frozen, before his hands snaked around her and held her close to him.

Ginny felt his arms slide around her waist and she hugged him a bit tighter, burying her face in his neck for a moment. She caught the smell of his cologne and it was mixed with the smell of his leather jacket and the inherent smell of Harry himself. It was a heady mix and she suddenly wanted nothing more than to drag him away from the crowd into an abandoned closet and snog him senseless.

It seemed that Harry too had forgotten himself as he held the small, pretty redhead tightly in his arms.

They were interrupted by twin voices from beside them, and Harry immediately released her to look at Fred and George, who were dressed flashily in florescent yellow and lime green robes. With that they wore multicoloured party hats which were set at a jaunty angle on their heads.

"Happy birthday," Fred yelled.

"Oh, partner of ours," George finished.

At that moment, Ginny could have cheerfully killed both of them for interrupting them, but instead she quickly reached up and gently pressed her lips to Harry's cheek. "Happy Birthday, Harry," she whispered before quickly moving away.

Harry stared at her retreating figure and was interrupted by Fred's voice:

"Hmm… Mum and Ginny both… do you think it's a custom?"

"Must be," George said.

"Well, who are we to break custom?" Fred sighed dramatically.

"Right you are," George agreed.

Suddenly Harry felt himself being hugged tightly by the twins and before he realized what was happening they had reached over and given him loud smacks on his cheeks.

"Happy Birthday, Ickle Harrikins," the twins said loudly, evil grins plastered on their faces.

Harry pushed them away, a revolted look on his face as he wiped his face on the sleeve of his shirt.

"Don't. Ever. Do. That." Harry snarled.

"Now, now, Harry, that's not what you said to Ginny and Mum," George said in a hurt tone.

"Yeah, why the double standards?" Fred grinned.

Harry glared at them.

"Fred, George, pick on someone else today. It's Harry's birthday," Arthur Weasley said with a smile as he shook Harry's hand and wished him a happy birthday.

Harry suddenly found himself being pulled into a little corner by Ron and Hermione. Ginny quickly joined them, followed by Neville and Luna.

"Happy birthday, Harry," Neville said with a broad smile.

"You too, Neville. Or should I say happy belated birthday?" Harry said warmly.

"Belated. My birthday was yesterday. But how did you know?" Neville asked curiously.

Harry nearly bit his tongue off at his slip. "I think you had told us a few years back."

"Oh, ok," Neville said with a frown, accepting Harry's explanation.

"Happy birthday, Harry," Luna said, touching his arm briefly to get his attention.

"Oh, Hello Luna. How was your holiday in Sweden? Did you see any Crumple Horned Snorkacks?"

"You can't see them, Harry. They turn themselves invisible to the human eye. But we did see the tracks of a herd of them. Their footprints are very similar to those of a wolf," Luna said serenely.

Harry wanted to say that it could have been possible that they _did_ see the footprints of a pack of wolves but didn't want to offend Luna.

"Oh, right. Good for you then," he mumbled.

"So, Potter, you have a lot to tell us. It seems that you have been very busy and we want all the little details of your activities," Hermione said eagerly.

Harry grinned. "Its really driving you up the wall that you don't know, isn't it?"

Hermione glared at him.

"Well, nothing really special… just this and that," Harry said offhandedly.

"Harry Potter, you have _no_ idea how close you are to getting hexed," Hermione warned.

"Oh, all right! I have joined classes to learn Aikido and Taekwondo, both of them are a form of Martial Arts," Harry explained.

"We already know about _that_," Ron said impatiently. "What _else_ have you been up to?"

"Right," Harry said thoughtfully. "Dumbledore has been teaching me Occlumency and I have been getting a few extra lessons from McGonagall and Flitwick."

"What kind of lessons?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"Well, McGonagall is just getting me up to date on transfiguration before she starts teaching me conjuration. Flitwick is teaching me shielding charms and we're working on hexes and curses."

"Oooh! That's wonderful Harry. I'm so jealous," Hermione squeaked.

"You wouldn't find it so wonderful if you had to write three feet essays on each topic for her. Oh wait! Who am I kidding? You would probably think it was some sort of a treat," Harry said wryly.

Hermione punched him on his arm. "Harry Potter, you are going to regret saying that."

"What I want to know," Ginny said quietly. "Is what you were doing in the Ministry?"

Harry looked at her. "I… I'm getting a little bit of training in dueling from the Aurors," he said awkwardly.

There was silence as these words were digested.

"Why weren't we allowed to train with you, Harry?" Ron asked quietly.

"Look, there's no need for any of you to learn Occlumency, and whatever I learn, I'll probably teach you guys anyway," Harry said slowly.

Ron looked like he wanted to say something more but was interrupted as Arthur Weasley walked up to them.

"Molly and I would like a word with you if you don't mind, Harry," he said with a smile.

"Right now?" Harry asked.

"Now would be as good a time as any. Besides, it will only take a minute," Mr. Weasley nodded.

"All right, then," Harry said as he followed Mr. Weasley to a side room, which he recognized as the same one where the Triwizard champions had waited after the Goblet had chosen them.

**OoOoOoO**

Molly Weasley was already waiting inside and she looked up as Harry and Mr. Weasley entered.

Harry had quite a good idea of what Mr. and Mrs. Weasley wanted to talk to him about and he was really dreading the conversation.

"Harry, dear," Mrs. Weasley started uncertainly.

"It's about the money, isn't it?" Harry asked cutting her off. He felt there was no point beating around the bush and it would be best if he was brutally honest.

"Yes, Harry, you know that we cannot possibly accept it," Mr. Weasley said sternly.

"Why? Just _why_ can't you accept it?" Harry asked calmly.

"Harry, it's too big an amount. Besides, we really don't need it dear," Mrs. Weasley said softly. "We couldn't take such a large gift from you."

Harry looked at her. "Mrs. Weasley, when you said last year that you considered me as your son, did you really mean it?"

"Of course we meant it, dear," Molly Weasley said tenderly.

"If that's true, then I am your son. Then why are you so hesitant to accept the money from me? If you don't consider me a son and it was all a lie, then I have no problems taking it back. But if you _do_ consider me your son then you will accept it," Harry said firmly.

Molly and Arthur exchanged exasperated looks.

"Harry, it's very unfair of you to put us in such a position," Mr. Weasley said finally. "We do consider you our son, but I do not see why you need to give us the money."

"You might not, but I very much do. I see you year after year beating yourself up to earn the money to run the house. I see the looks on Ron's and Ginny's faces when they have to buy second hand robes and books every year. I don't want my family to go through that anymore. I want them to have the best. There is no need for them to live in poverty when I have more money than I can ever spend in ten lifetimes," Harry said earnestly. "But the real reason is not Ron or Ginny, it is both of you. You have always denied yourself everything you wanted and put your children's needs before yours. It is time you had some money to spend on just yourselves. On those things you never felt necessary to purchase but always wished you could have. I want my parents to have the best of everything."

Molly and Arthur looked at each other and both had tears in their eyes.

"Please, let me help. You are my family. Please give me the chance to help out. I don't care what others say or think and you shouldn't either. What matters is what _we feel_ and _we think_. Please just take it," Harry pleaded.

Molly bent forward and hugged Harry tightly. "You are the sweetest boy in the whole world. I couldn't love you more if you were born from my own womb."

"So, will you accept it?" Harry asked hopefully.

Arthur sighed. "Yes, Harry, we accept with thanks. Now come on, son, let's go back to your party."

Harry's smile could have lit the whole room as he followed both his adoptive parents out of the door.

**OoOoOoO**

He had hardly stepped outside when he was accosted by a group of girls from his year.

"Happy birthday, Harry," Parvati giggled.

"Um… thanks, Parvati," Harry said nervously. He wondered what possible reason there could be for her to giggle while wishing him a happy birthday.

"I see you have been keeping yourself busy this summer, Harry," Lavender said running her eyes laviciously over Harry's body.

"Busy… yeah, well… not really," Harry said awkwardly, as he saw her eyes moving over him and thought she must be alluding to the fact that he was no longer so skinny.

"Are you wearing contacts, Harry?" Susan Bones asked.

Harry turned to look at her. He remembered her vaguely as being from the DA. She was from Hufflepuff and was somehow related to the new Minister.

"Er… contacts? Yeah, I am," Harry answered slowly. He was feeling trapped as he wasn't used to talking to so many girls at once and vaguely confused as to why they were looking at him so strangely.

"Well, it's about time you stopped hiding those gorgeous eyes of yours behind those glasses, Harry," Padma Patil said with a bright smile.

'Gorgeous eyes? What were these girls going on about?' Harry thought in confusion.

He was rescued from the girls by the timely arrival of Tonks and Remus.

"Hello, hot lips," Tonks said as she ruffled his hair. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Tonks," Harry said. "And can you please stop with the hair? It's not like it _needs_ to be any messier."

"Happy birthday, Harry," Remus said as he pulled Harry into a quick hug.

"Hi, Moony. It's good to see you again," Harry grinned.

"Oi, Potter, come and cut the bloody cake. We're starving out here," Fred yelled.

"Go on, do the honors, Harry, looks like your guests are hungry," Remus smirked.

Harry slowly made his way to the center of the room where a huge cake was waiting for him. It was made in the shape of a snitch and spread liberally with golden-yellow icing.

Mrs. Weasley was in the middle of lighting the sixteen candles sunk into the cake and was periodically swatting Ron's hand as he tried to sneak a lick of the icing.

"Come quickly, Harry. Ronnie-boy is hungry," Fred jeered.

"But then he's _always_ hungry," George pointed out.

Harry laughed as Ron angrily told the twins to stop calling him 'Ronnie- boy'.

"Harry, dear, come on then," Mrs. Weasley said as she handed him a large knife that was decorated with ribbons.

As Harry moved in front of the cake, the Hall erupted into song and started singing Happy Birthday to him.

He was about to cut the cake when Ginny's voice stopped him. "Harry, you're supposed to blow out the candles first."

Harry looked up at her. "The candles? Oh right, Sorry."

The singing started again and he took a deep breath to blow out the candles when another voice interrupted.

"Remember to make a wish before you blow the candles, Harry," Hermione said from next to him.

"A wish?" Harry asked in a baffled tone.

"Yes, a wish, Harry. Honestly, you're behaving like you've never done this before," Seamus snorted.

Harry looked at him. "Well, actually… I'm… I'm sorry. Let's just try again, shall we?"

He missed the knowing looks exchanged between the Weasley's and his friends at his words. They all knew what Harry had _almost_ said.

"Ok, Harry, let us help you out since you are so gormless," Fred said solemnly.

"First, you make a wish," George said, holding up a finger.

"Second, you blow the candles," Fred said, holding up two fingers.

"Third you cut the cake…"

"After making sure that _all_ the candles are blown out," Fred interrupted.

"Right, after making sure that all the candles are blown out, you cut the cake," George said, resuming.

"Then, you take a piece of the cake and smear it all over your face," The twins said, finishing off together.

"The last part, the one about rubbing the cake in your face, is that really how you do it, or are you pulling my leg?" Harry asked carefully.

"Would we lie to you?" the twins asked, their faces absolutely blank of any trace of mischief.

"Er… Honestly? Yeah, I'd have to say you would," Harry snorted.

Molly took matters in her own hands. "Don't listen to these two. Just make a wish and blow the candles out before you cut the cake."

Harry nodded.

As he got ready to blow the candles out yet again, he wondered what wish he should make. The obvious one was hoping that Voldemort tripped over his own feet, broke his ruddy neck, and died. But he guessed that that was wishful thinking and probably made for a very sordid birthday wish.

What could he wish for? That his friends were kept safe? That he lived through the war? Would a simple birthday wish grant him any of that?

Yeah right!!! If that was true, then Voldemort would be dead by now and I would be wishing till I was blue in the face.

He finally just wished that he could be in a position like this once more in his life, surrounded by people that cared for him and loved him.

He let loose the air in his mouth and blew the candles out, awkwardly cutting the cake. Mrs. Weasley moved in at this point and picking up the slice he had cut, lovingly fed him a bite.

"Right, its time you opened the presents, birthday boy," Tonks said enthusiastically.

Harry was about to protest at this but before he could say anything, he was ushered over to large table which was groaning with the weight of the presents piled on top.

He picked up one which had Hermione's neat handwriting on it and opened the wrappings carefully. He knew that it was most probably a book of some sort, coming from Hermione.

"Hurry up with that mate, or else we're going to be here all day," Ron complained.

Harry ignored him and finally got the present open and predictably, a book fell out. But when he saw the title his eyes gleamed. It was a book on how one could win duels when fighting against dark wizards and was titled _Dueling with Light Magic._

"Wow, Hermione!! This is really great," Harry said holding up the book and giving her a tight hug.

"I'm glad you like it," Hermione beamed.

Harry quickly opened the rest of the presents. From Ron he got a large assortment of Honeydukes chocolates and a book on Chudley Cannons Quidditch plays.

The Weasleys, Bill and Fleur had pooled together and given him a pair of black, knee length, dragon hide boots.

"They're made from the hide of a Hungarian Horntail and they'll protect you from most of the spells cast on your legs, like the jelly legs jinx or the dancing spell. They are also charmed to be noiseless and give extra cushioning," Bill explained.

Harry grinned. "Thank you. These are fantastic. And it seems poetic justice that they are from the hide of a Horntail, considering how much trouble that creature gave me during the first task."

Hagrid had given him a few beautifully done wood carvings of all the creatures they had covered over the years in Care of Magical Creatures.

"These are brilliant, Hagrid," Harry exclaimed, running his hand over the exquisitely carved models.

"Don' mention it Harry," Hagrid said gruffly, giving Harry a light slap on his back. Harry yelped as he was thrown three feet forward by the blow, and he thought he had _surely_ broken his spinal cord.

He started opening the rest of the presents. Mostly, everybody had given him Quidditch posters, or photo frames, or in Colin's case, an album full of photos taken over the years of Harry and his friends. Others had given him chocolates or quills or cards.

He received a large pack of pranks from Fred and George and an instruction manual on how he could use them on his relatives undetected.

From Moony, he received a foe glass similar to the one that he had seen in the fake Mad Eye's office back in his fourth year.

Finally, only three presents were left.

The Aurors had all gotten together to give Harry a birthday present and that was the one Harry was opening now.

It was a magnificent set of full body armor, made from black dragon hide. It had a reinforced vest to be worn under the shirt, cloak, trousers and two wand holsters.

"This… this is too much, guys," an overwhelmed Harry said to the grinning Aurors. "I mean, this must have cost a fortune."

"It's fine, Harry," Tonks grinned. "We thought that you get into so much trouble that you definitely need all the protection you can get. Besides, it makes our job of keeping you alive a lot easier."

Next, Harry opened a small, well wrapped package and found a beautiful amulet inside. It was circular in shape and was made of thin, beaten gold. All sorts of protective runes were carved around it and in the dead center was a mysterious black stone. The amulet came attached to a thin gold chain.

Harry looked up to see Ginny standing beside him. "You like it?" she asked softly. "It's an old Celtic amulet that I found in this antique shop. The owner couldn't tell me much about it besides the fact that it was meant to protect the wearer from harm."

"It's beautiful," Harry said softly. "But it must have been very expensive, Ginny…"

"It wasn't," Ginny said cutting him off.

Harry smiled. "Then thank you. I'll be honored to wear it."

She took the amulet from him and gently put it over his head.

"It's meant to protect you, so don't you take it off," she said sternly.

"I won't," Harry replied. "I'll never take it off. After all, I don't want another Howler sent to me, do I?"

Ginny looked embarrassed for a second before she realized that he was teasing her and gave a pleased little smile. "Good."

Harry reached for the last present, which was a large, circular object wrapped in plain brown paper.

He tore the wrapping open to reveal a large Pensieve made out of black marble. Harry was stunned at the workmanship gone into the making of the object. It was much bigger than Dumbledore's Penseive, but smaller than the one the Aurors possessed. The runes around the bowl and inside it were etched in gold and all around the outside of the bowl were intricate designs carved into the marble.

Harry was speechless as he held the object reverently. This one gift was more expensive than all the others combined, not to mention _extremely_ rare.

"Do you like it, Harry?" Dumbledore's spoke from behind him.

"You… _you_ gave me this?" Harry choked.

"Yes, I felt that it would help you in your Occlumency training," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling merrily.

"But…but…" Harry stuttered.

"No buts," Dumbledore said firmly. "Now, let's see if we can't break in your new Pensieve, shall we?"

"Break in the Pensieve?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, Harry, when a Pensieve is gifted at a Birthday, it is custom for the receiver to share a few of his treasured memories with his guests," Dumbledore explained.

Harry balked at the idea.

"But it is understandable that you do not wish to do so. Perhaps we can use somebody else's memories then?" Dumbledore said soothingly.

Harry nodded thankfully.

"Headmaster, if I may…" Remus said hesitantly. "I believe I have a few memories that Harry might care to see."

Dumbledore beamed. "Perfect! Come along, Remus."

Moony spent a few minutes extracting memories from his head and into the Pensieve. "It's all in here," he said when he was done.

Dumbledore moved forward and tapped his wand into the silvery liquid of the Pensieve and muttered something under his breath.

Suddenly, silver mist started blowing out of the pensieve and rose above them, forming a three dimensional projection.

The mist began to form a scene…

_James Potter and Lily Evans were kissing passionately in a cubicle in Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom and were totally unaware of the rest of the world._

_They didn't notice the door to the bathroom opening. They didn't notice the roguish face peer over the top of the cubicle they were in, and snigger at seeing them 'otherwise engaged.' They didn't notice when a large bucket of water appeared over their heads. But when the icy cold water splashed down on them, they noticed, all right. _

_There was a loud shriek from the cubicle, which was followed by an outraged roar. _

_The door of the cubicle flew open just in time for James to see a laughing, black haired boy run pell-mell from the bathroom._

"_Sirius, you mangy cur!" James yelled. "I'll get you for that."_

"_Black, when I catch you, I'll get you neutered," Lily screamed._

_Sirius turned around for a second and gave them a cheeky smile. "My, my, our beloved Head boy and Head girl, whatever could they have been doing in a girl's bathroom? What an example to set the younger students. Tsk-tsk."_

_There was a large crowd gathered around them by now, and all of them were looking at James and Lily curiously. Many of them were sniggering and cat calling._

_James furiously raised his wand to hex Sirius, but Lily stopped him. "No, don't do it, James. We'll beat Black at his own game."_

"_What do you mean, Lils?" James asked bewilderedly as he lowered his wand._

"_Let's just say that after I'm done with him he's going to wish he never messed with us." _

Everybody looked at Harry hesitantly to see how he was reacting to the memory, and when they saw that he was laughing, they quickly joined in.

Harry looked at Remus with a grin. "Oh my God! Padfoot really did that?"

Remus nodded.

"He regretted it too. Watch and see."

The silver mist formed a new scene…

_A furious looking Sirius Black charged into the Gryffindor common room and marched up to James and Lily, who were sitting side by side on a couch, holding hands._

"_You… you… you told her I have VD?" Sirius asked in an outraged whisper._

_Lily looked up innocently. "Who me?"_

"_Don't give me that innocent look, Evans. Did you, or did you not, tell Emma Reeves that I have Syphilis?" Sirius yelled, before realizing that he had shouted it out loud._

_He looked around to see several girls in the common room looking at him warily. This only made him angrier._

"_You mean to say you don't have it?" Lily asked in surprise._

"_Don't have it? Of course I don't have it," Sirius screamed._

"_Well, you know how it is… with your 'reputation' and all," Lily said soothingly. "I heard something going around and I thought it must be true. I mean… the most careful people can forget about protection in the heat of the moment."_

_Sirius goggled at her. _

"_So you did tell her. You know how long I have been trying to get her to go with me for a date?" Sirius raged. "I swear I'll get you for this, Evans."_

"_I'm sorry you have to take it that way, Black," Lily said sorrowfully. "I would have thought that our friendship meant more to you than that."_

"_Friendship!!! Hah! If you're my friend, I don't need any enemies," Sirius yelled, before storming off._

"_Oh, and Black, next time you'll think twice before pouring water on us again, now won't you?" Lily called out to his retreating back._

_Sirius paused and tensed for a moment before turning on his heel and stomping off. _

_James gleefully kissed Lily. "You are so devious. I love it. I would just have hexed him for it. But this was soooo much better." _

_Lily smiled. "Watch and learn."_

Ginny and Hermione were both laughing uncontrollably, as were most of the people in the Great Hall as the memory ended.

"Harry, your mum was brilliant," Hermione gasped.

Before anybody could say anything more, the silver mist was forming a new memory.

"_Are you sure you want to do this?" Remus asked James._

"_Of course I'm sure, Moony," James said impatiently. "Why are you asking me that again and again?"_

"_Well, I specifically heard Lily say that… what was that again? Oh yeah… something to the effect that she'll curse you to death in a most painful way if you take Harry up on a broom before his fifth birthday," Remus said slowly._

"_What she doesn't know won't harm us," Sirius said confidently as he jiggled Harry, who was squirming in his hands._

"Oooh, Harry, you're _so_ cute," Hermione squealed.

"Thanks, but quite frankly, you're not my type," Harry said, grinning broadly.

Hermione swatted him on his arm. "Oh, _you!!_"

"_Yeah, quit worrying, Moony," James said irritably. "Five years before I can take him up on a broom! If he is ever to have a chance to become a seeker for England, we have to start his training now."_

_Remus looked at him skeptically as James continued to murmur something about silly women who didn't know a thing about the importance of Quidditch._

"_You have got to be kidding me, Prongs," Remus said finally. "I mean, he can't even walk yet. How the hell will he learn to fly?"_

"_Walking has nothing to do with flying," James said firmly, as he sat on his broom and lifted it three feet off the ground. "And just you wait and see. He's going to be a natural in the sky. Just like his Dad. Won't you, Harry?"_

_Harry made a gurgling sound from Sirius' arms._

"_Give him to me, Padfoot," James commanded._

_Sirius handed Harry over to his father and James wrapped his arms around his son tightly and was just about to take off when a loud scream stopped him._

"And _now_ the fireworks begin," Remus said with a grin.

"_JAMES POTTER!!!! What the hell are you doing with our son on that broom?"_

_James got off the broom in record speed and looked sheepishly over at his wife, who had suddenly arrived out of nowhere._

"_Well? I'm waiting to hear what you have to say," Lily said, as she removed her wand and tapped it against her hand impatiently. _

"_S-s-sweetheart… I was… I was just…" James stammered._

"_You were just taking Harry up into the air," Lily said grimly, a dangerous glint coming into her eyes. "Did we not discuss something about this?"_

"_Now, let's not be hasty, honey," James said with what he most probably thought was a winning smile._

"_Moony, would you be so good as to take Harry from my dear husband?"_

_Remus grinned and stepped to take Harry from a reluctant James, who regarded his infant son as the only shield between himself and a potentially furious witch._

"_Now, let's go over what we had discussed again," Lily said softly, as she took a few steps towards her husband, who immediately shrunk back._

"_Be reasonable, Lily!" James protested feebly. "Five years before we take him up on a broom? That's too late. He needs to learn now if he's going to be a champion seeker."_

"_Reasonable!!! He's five months old. He can't even walk yet," Lily yelled._

"_Well, yes, but walking doesn't have anything…"_

"_Shut up!" Lily screamed. "How could you do this, James? How can you be so irresponsible? If he falls from the sky at this age he could die."_

"_Well we knew that," James said backing away. "That's why Sirius suggested that we only take him six feet up."_

_Lily turned on Sirius, who looked alarmed at these turn of events. He gave James a look that held part reproach and part a feeling of being betrayed in the worst possible way._

"_You did what?" Lily asked him in a dangerous voice._

"_I… uh… that is… When did you guys ever start listening to what I said?" Sirius yelped._

_Lily completely lost it and grabbing James' broom from his hand, started whacking both of them with it._

_Remus started laughing uncontrollably from the door as he held Harry in his arms. Soon the broomstick was forgotten as Lily chased them across the lawn throwing curse after curse at the two hapless, would be 'flight instructors.' _

"Oh, my God!" Harry gasped. Tears of laughter were rolling down his eyes as he tried to control his laughter. No one in the room was in any better shape.

"Were they always like this?" Harry asked finally.

"Always, they lived life on the edge, and knew no other way to live," Remus said with a fond smile. "It drove Lily up the wall at times, but she was the only one who could fully control both of them."

The scene changed again…

_Sirius Black came bounding into the room. He was dressed in tight leather pants and a black leather riding jacket. He made a striking figure, right from the tip of his black dragon hide boots to his hair, which was windblown and disheveled. _

"My God! Sirius was really handsome," Ginny gasped.

From the noises Harry heard, he assumed that the rest of the females in the party thought so too.

"Yes, he was. Quite a few witches had massive crushes on him and would have married him at a moment's notice. But he was never one to be tied down," Remus said shaking his head.

"_Where is my adorable godson?" he said loudly, as he gazed around the nursery._

_He noticed Harry looking up at him from a corner of the room where he was playing with his toys and bounded over and picked him up into his arms in one swoop._

_Harry squealed in delight._

"_Come on, today I'm going to take you for a ride on my bike," Sirius said, as he carried Harry outdoors._

_James was sullenly arguing with Lily. "Explain to me again why I can't take him up on a broom and Sirius can take him for a ride on his bike?"_

"_Because the bike has a side seat where he'll be safe and won't fall off," Lily said irritably. "And might I remind you that it wasn't my idea. You and Sirius have been after me for weeks and that's the only reason I agreed."_

_She watched anxiously as Sirius put Harry into the side compartment of the bike and tucked and belted him in safely._

"_You're sure he'll be safe, aren't you, Sirius?" Lily asked anxiously._

"_Don't worry, Lils," Sirius said soothingly. "It's completely safe. I have even charmed it. He couldn't fall off even if he wanted to."_

_Lily didn't look very reassured._

_James, Remus, Lily and Wormtail watched as Sirius got on the seat of the gleaming black chrome and steel bike, and kicked it to life. He quickly flicked a button and the bike began to rise off the ground. Sirius turned to wave at them, winked at an enthralled Harry, and revved up the accelerator. The monster bike gave a loud roar and took off, gaining speed rapidly._

_The four people down below watched as Sirius flew around the neighbourhood as Harry yelled in delight from his seat._

Harry suddenly realized where all the dreams of the flying motorcycles he had as a child had come from.

He was lost in his thoughts as he saw the silver mist form a new scene.

_Lily walked into the nursery with James, Remus and Dumbledore trailing after her._

"_He's in there, Headmaster, but I think he's asleep," Lily whispered, pointing to the tiny crib._

_Dumbledore walked over and peered into the crib. Lying inside was a tiny, black haired baby who was fast asleep. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as they looked at the adorable baby and he was about to move away, when Harry's eyes suddenly opened._

_Curious emerald green eyes looked up into twinkling blue eyes._

_Suddenly Harry reached out and before Dumbledore could react, he had grasped the end of Dumbledore's long beard firmly._

_Dumbledore chuckled and gently tried to pry his beard from the grip of Harry's tiny fingers. But he wasn't successful and Harry held on tightly. _

_Dumbledore tried various ploys. He conjured various toys to tempt Harry and did a few magic tricks to try and distract him. But Harry wasn't interested in any of it and he didn't let go of the beard._

_Lily moved over to try. "Harry… Harry love, let go of the Headmaster's beard."_

_Harry looked up and smiled when he heard his mother's soft voice, but he still refused to let go._

_Dumbledore suddenly took his wand and offered the end of it to Harry. _

_Harry stared at the wand for a moment and immediately dropped the beard and grabbed for the wand._

_As his tiny fingers touched the Headmaster's wand, several red and gold sparks flew out of it, filling the room with light._

_James, Lily and Remus gasped._

"_He will be a very powerful wizard," Dumbledore said softly, as he gently took his wand from Harry's fingers._

_James and Lily beamed at the Headmaster._

_Dumbledore looked at Harry thoughtfully for a moment before he turned to the rest of them. "It was a pleasure seeing you again, James, Lily," he said nodding his head at both of them. "I must be off now. I have some business to take care of." _

_Lily smiled. "Thank you for visiting, Professor. And I'm sorry about your beard."_

_Dumbledore chuckled. "Don't be sorry, I quite enjoyed myself. It's not everyday that a six month old baby gets me to dance to his tune."_

_Dumbledore gave a final glance at Harry and Apparated away._

_Lily bent down and picked Harry up. "You sure like to live dangerously," she said, as she bounced Harry up and down. "The person whose beard you were so gleefully pulling was one of the most powerful wizards in the world. What would you have done if he had turned you into a toad?"_

_Harry looked at his mother silently from his large green eyes, listening to the sound of her musical voice._

_James came up and put his arm around his wife and son. "Of course he likes to live dangerously. He's the son and godson of a marauder."_

As the memory ended, Harry found that Dumbledore was standing beside him.

"You knew when you came, didn't you?" Harry asked quietly.

"Yes, I knew," Dumbledore replied, just as quietly.

Harry nodded.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Ginny asked softly.

"I'm fine," Harry said, flashing her a quick smile.

Ginny didn't believe him, but she knew that Harry would not tell her anything unless he wanted to and was ready.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry found himself grasped firmly by both arms and dragged into a small room outside the Great Hall.

"We were hoping you would clear up a few things for us, Harry," Fred said eagerly.

Harry looked at him warily. "Sure, if I can."

"In those Pensieve memories, when your father called Lupin 'Moony' and referred to Sirius and himself as 'Padfoot' and 'Prongs', what did he mean?" George asked.

Harry looked at the two of them. "Well, my father, along with Sirius, Remus and Peter Pettigrew were the Marauders. They were all nicknamed after their Animagus forms and Remus after his condition."

Fred and George exchanged looks.

"Wow! Three illegal animagi and a werewolf!" George whistled.

"They were even greater than we thought," Fred agreed.

"And to think we were with them under the same roof _all_ this time and we never talked to them," George lamented.

"A thing we should remedy immediately, brother mine," Fred agreed.

"Yeah, Remus looks the brainy kind. He probably planned all of their pranks and invented the Map," George said thoughtfully.

"Hey, wait a second you two," Harry said. "Now that you are both here, I wanted to ask you a favor."

The Twins stopped and walked back towards Harry.

"Sure Harry, ask away," Fred said.

"Well, nowadays I listen to music at times, you know… muggle music. It's quite relaxing at times and I was wondering if you could work out a way to allow us to listen to it here too," Harry explained.

Fred and George exchanged looks.

"Look, Harry, I think you've got the wrong Weasleys. Dad is the one who meddles with the Muggle stuff," George said finally.

Harry shook his head. "No, people may not give you credit for it, but you two have a brain for inventing stuff. And I wasn't thinking of this just for my use. I have an idea that it would sell really well in your shop too, considering the amount of Muggleborns and half-blood's at Hogwarts."

"It may be an idea," Fred said thoughtfully. "But the thing is, we know nothing about muggle inventions and it would be really costly to do this."

"I'll get Bill to take care of the money part if you are willing to put in the effort," Harry said calmly.

Fred and George looked at each other again, in the weird 'twin' way they had of communicating with each other.

"Ok, we'll do it Harry," the twins said after a while.

"Thanks, guys," Harry grinned.

"Don't mention it, partner of ours," Fred said jovially.

"Now, excuse us, we have somebody to talk to," George said as they hurried off to corner Moony.

Harry shook his head at their antics and followed them outside.

**OoOoOoO**

He had only taken a few steps outside when he came face to face with Percy Weasley.

"Hello, Harry," Percy said quietly.

"Hello, Percy," Harry said in surprise. _What was he doing here?_

"Harry…" Percy said, stopping to take a deep breath. "I behaved like an ass all of last year and said some things about you that were absolutely unforgivable. I want to apologize to you. I hope you can forgive me."

Harry smiled. "Percy, there's no need to apologize to me as long as you have apologized to your parents. If they have forgiven you, then so have I."

Percy smiled. "That's very big of you, Harry, and yes, I did apologize to my parents."

"Good, I knew you had it in you all along," Harry grinned.

Percy nodded. "I'd like to introduce you to my fiancée, Penelope Clearwater."

Harry turned to the slim brunette at Percy's side and vaguely recalled her as a former Ravenclaw prefect.

"Oh, Hello, congratulations. When did this happen?" Harry asked curiously.

"Hello, Harry," Penelope said warmly. "We got engaged during Christmas, last year."

Harry turned to Percy with a wicked smile on his face. "So, should I take it that your Mum is already planning the wedding?"

Percy groaned. "Yes, she's driving me up the wall with all the wedding talk. But thank God she also has Bill and Fleur to concentrate on."

"Did I hear my name mentioned?" Bill asked, walking up with Fleur and Charlie in tow.

"Oh, we were just talking about your impending weddings," Harry said innocently.

Bill's face looked as if he had just swallowed a lemon.

"Merlin, Harry, Mum's in the same room, don't say the 'W' word," Bill pleaded.

Harry turned to Fleur who bent down to kiss him on both his cheeks. "'appy Birthday, Harry," Fleur said with a brilliant smile.

Harry felt her Veela charms hit his mental shields and strengthened them a notch. "Thank you, Fleur. It is good to see you again."

"Harry, I was thinking that since we are all here, it might be fun to have a Quidditch match. I have always wanted to play against you," Charlie said eagerly.

"Great idea, Charlie," Fred said, as the twins joined them.

"Yeah, how about we make it Weasley's v/s the rest?" George said.

"Hmm… seems like a plan," Bill agreed.

"Oi, Ron, Ginny, get over here," Charlie bellowed.

"What is it?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Well, we were thinking if you were ready to take on Potter and his team at Quidditch? The Weasley's v/s whatever team he wants," Charlie explained when Ron had joined them.

"Great," Ron whooped. "But what about the brooms?"

"You may use the school brooms," Dumbledore said with a wink, as he passed by them with McGonagall.

"Ok, that's settled then," Bill said. "You up for it, Potter?"

Harry grinned. "Prepare to lose."

"Hah! That'll be the day, Potter. Weasleys _never_ lose," Charlie crowed.

"There's always a first time for everything," Harry said as he took off to form his own team.

**OoOoOoO**

It was fifteen minutes later that Lee Jordan took up position as commentator and started to announce the two teams. The two stands had quickly filled up with the news of the match and the Aurors had started a betting pool as to the outcome.

"**And here come the Weasley team… Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley, Weasley annnd Weasley."**

"Could you be a little more specific, Jordan?" McGonagall said dryly from beside him.

"Ok, Professor," Lee said holding up a thumb.

"**The Weasley's are led by their Seeker and Captain, Charlie Weasley. Charlie Weasley has been one of the legendary seekers to have graced Hogwarts and it is said that he had been offered a position to play for England. Unfortunately, he chose dragons…"**

There was a loud cheer from the crowd.

"**He is followed by Bill Weasley, the eldest of the Weasley brothers, who is playing Chaser. The other two Chaser positions are being filled by Percy and Ginny Weasley. Ginny Weasley was the one who took over for Harry Potter as Seeker last year and was largely responsible for Gryffindor winning that last fateful match."**

The Gryffindors in the crowd cheered.

"**The Weasley's beaters are the two Weasley twins, Fred and George. They have been Gryffindor Beaters for most of their years at Hogwarts. Opposing team members are said to have been more afraid of these two than the Bludgers at times. The keeper of the Weasley team is the youngest Weasley son, Ronald Weasley. Ron Weasley is the current Gryffindor Keeper and performed brilliantly in the last match of the year to help bring back the Cup to Gryffindor."**

The crowd suddenly started cheering as Harry and his team flew out on the Pitch.

"**And here comes Potter's team… Wood, Johnson, Spinnet, Bell, Lupin, Shacklebolt annnnd Potter."**

"**The Keeper for Potter's team is the former Gryffindor and current Puddlemore United keeper, Oliver Wood. Wood captained Gryffindor for four years and was lucky to captain one of the finest teams Gryffindor had seen in a long time."**

The two captains walked up to the center of the pitch where Madam Hooch was waiting.

"**Of the Chasers, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet are former Gryffindor Chasers and are very talented. I hear Angelina has even gotten an offer from the Magpies to play for them. Katie Bell is currently the seniormost member of the current Gryffindor team and all three of them have a very seamless co-ordination while playing together."**

"All right now, you damage those brooms and I'll hex you into the next week. Now shake hands," Madam Hooch said sternly.

"**Of the two beaters, Remus Lupin has been a DADA professor here at Hogwarts and not much is known about his talent at Quidditch. As for Kingsley Shacklebolt, he is a senior Auror and played for Slytherin as a Beater when he was at Hogwarts."**

"Ready to lose, Potter?" Charlie asked grimly.

"You wish, Weasley," Harry sneered, in a way that Snape would have been proud of.

"**The seeker, of course, is Harry Potter. The youngest seeker in a century, Winner of the Triwizard tournament, the boy- who-lived. He has never lost a match for Gryffindor except for that one time when Dementors had invaded the pitch. That probably doesn't count."**

Madam Hooch released the balls and with a whistle, they were off.

"**And the ball is immediately taken by Johnson, who passes it to Bell… She flies towards Bill, swerves at the last moment and is racing towards the goals unchecked… She seems to be aiming for the right hoop… No it was a fake. The ball goes through the centre hoop. Bell scores. Ten-zero to Potter's team."**

Harry flew around the pitch glorying in the feel of the air whipping through his robes. The school broom was slow and difficult to maneuver, but it was better than nothing, Harry reasoned.

He stopped his musing and started to fly around, looking for the snitch.

He noticed that Charlie made no attempt to mark him and instead was out actively hunting for the snitch.

"**Ginny Weasley steals the Ball from Spinnet, fakes out Bell and passes the Quaffle to Percy… Who misses… Johnson takes possession and is racing towards the goals. Young Ron Weasley seems determined to stop her… she shoots… Weasley dives frantically to stop it… but misses the Quaffle by an inch… Twenty-zero to Potter's team."**

Harry suddenly saw Charlie dive. He immediately followed and sped after him. But Charlie had a huge lead. Harry flattened his body on his broom and pushed the old broom to its limit. He found himself slowly catching up to Charlie.

"**Looks like Charlie Weasley has spotted the snitch. Both seekers are racing after it and while Weasley has a big lead, Potter is slowly catching him up."**

They were nearing the ground when Harry suddenly realized something. He and Charlie were playing on the same brooms and Charlie had started with a big lead over him. Charlie Weasley was a great seeker and a speed demon, it wasn't likely that Harry would have caught up with him if Charlie hadn't wanted him to. He abruptly pulled out of the dive and his suspicions proved correct a second later, when Charlie too pulled out of the dive, seconds before he was going to hit the ground.

"**It seems that there was no snitch and Weasley was faking Potter with a well tried Wronski Feint. Potter did a good job of recognizing it and pulls out at the last second."**

Harry turned on his broom and looked at Charlie. "Nice feint, Charlie. I almost fell for it."

Charlie smirked and flew off.

"**And Ginny Weasley has the Quaffle and passes it to Bill… Bill races forward and has Spinnet rushing to intercept him. Passes to Ginny… Ginny shoots… she scores. Twenty-ten to Weasley's team."**

The game went on and the scores were more or less even. Harry's team had the better chasers and keeper but the Weasley's had Fred and George, who more than evened the difference. Remus and Kingsley worked well together but they weren't in the same class as the twins.

The scores after an hour were 150-110 in favor of Harry's team and the snitch would still decide the outcome of the match.

Finally, Harry spotted it hovering around the ground near the Weasley goal post. Charlie had apparently spotted it too, and both dove steeply after it.

Harry had the bigger lead, but that was evened out after George sent a well aimed Bludger at him and he had to dive out of the way to avoid it.

Harry dove steeply, willing the ancient old broom to go faster. The ground was appearing fast and Harry, chancing a look at Charlie, saw that he was diving side by side with him.

"**And it's going to be very close folks, both of the seekers are racing side by side and at this moment either one of them could get it," Lee yelled excitedly.**

Harry realized that it was going to be very close. He bent forward on his broom and stretched his hand forward towards the snitch. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Charlie do the same. They were within two feet of the snitch when it happened. The snitch suddenly shot sideways and went behind them.

Charlie immediately started turning his broom around to race after the snitch. But the speed they were diving at made it almost impossible and the old broom was very difficult to maneuver.

Harry, on the other hand, instinctively knew not to follow Charlie. He caught his broom tightly and flipped himself and his broom over. A second later he found himself hanging upside down from his broom and the snitch was fluttering a few feet away. His hand darted forward and caught the elusive golden object.

He felt himself falling and pulling himself up on his broom, managed to flip over and slow the broom down before he hit the ground. The landing was still hard though, but Harry's Aikido training came to his rescue, and he rolled forward as soon as he hit the ground, lessening the impact.

"**And Potter catches the snitch after executing that incredible move. That move surely goes down for the books, as I've never seen anything like it done before. Potter's team wins, three hundred to one hundred and ten." **

Harry slowly got up, stretching himself to lessen the bruising. A second later, he was swamped by his teammates.

"Excellent catch, Harry," Oliver yelled as he thumped Harry on his back, drunk with the joy of victory.

The three girls grabbed Harry and each hugged him tightly before kissing him on his cheeks. "Brilliant game, Harry."

Remus and Kingsley weren't looking all that happy however, as they glared at Harry disapprovingly.

"Yes, yes, I know it was dangerous. Will it help if I tell you I knew exactly what I was doing?"

"Did you?" Remus asked sternly.

"Well… not _exactly_," Harry admitted.

Remus groaned. "What am I going to do with you, Harry?"

Hermione and Molly Weasley had reached them by this time. "Harry Potter!" Molly screeched. "Just what did you think you were doing? You could have died. Was it so important to catch the snitch that you had to risk your life?"

"Aww… let him be, Mum," Charlie said walking up to them. "Great catch, Harry. You beat me fair and square."

Harry shook his head. "Under different circumstances it would most probably have ended differently."

"Still, great match. I haven't had this much fun in years," Charlie said, with a broad grin.

"Me neither. This has been a truly spectacular day," Harry said blissfully.

The day wasn't over though, and before the party ended, the twins set up a spectacular fireworks display which they had prepared especially for Harry. After that, there was a large spread provided by the House elves, which, after the day's activities, _everybody_ did justice to.

As Harry said goodbye to his friends and got ready to take the Portkey back to Privet Drive, he felt a warm feeling all over.

This had, without a doubt, been the _best_ day of his life.

**OoOoOoO**


	11. Interlude 02

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (Interlude 02)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all, he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** J.K. Rowling owns it all. I am just a humble fanfic writer. Please don't sue me anyone, as I am quite poor and it really wouldn't be worth your while.

**OoOoOoO**

**Interlude 02**

**OoOoOoO**

The giant of a man was roughly shoved forward by his captors.

Blood was trickling from various wounds on his body, forming a puddle on the floor. His massive form was bound in thick metal chains, the ends of which were held in the hands of the dozen or so cloaked figures that surrounded him.

It was obvious that he had been in a very violent fight against them, as several of them sported nasty wounds or were limping.

The man tried to struggle against his bonds but he got a few vicious kicks for his attempt. He gave a bellow of rage, and gathering all his strength, jerked on the chains to try and throw off his captors. He didn't succeed, there were far too many.

But the struggles ceased as soon as they entered the room they were in. The half-giant shuddered from the cold and despair that pervaded the room. He remembered the feeling from his short stay in Azkaban. But this was so much more. The cold and despair was mixed with a vile evilness that caused spasms of fear to run through his body.

"Ah! Welcome, Hagrid," A high, cold voice called out from within the room. "How nice of you to join us."

Hagrid looked at the hooded figure sitting on the cold, stone throne and couldn't help shuddering.

"Come now, Hagrid, why all the shyness? We are old friends, aren't we, you and I?" The Dark Lord jeered.

"Yeh're no friend o' mine," Hagrid whispered.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," The Dark Lord said silkily. "You have been most bothersome, Hagrid. Twice you have disrupted my discussions with the Giants. What am I to do with you?"

"Yeh won' get away with this, Tom," Hagrid said defiantly, his anger briefly overcoming his fear of being in the presence of the most powerful Dark Lord in history.

Lord Voldemort laughed cruelly.

'_Crucio.'_

Hagrid's screams filled the room and the Death Eaters holding on to his chains were nearly thrown off their feet as he fell to the floor, thrashing around with the pain.

**((((o))))**

_**Several hundred miles away, Harry Potter's scar suddenly flared with pain and he fell off his chair, holding his head in his hands.**_

_**His scar felt like it had just exploded, so great was the pain.**_

_**Dumbledore immediately came around to stand by Harry's side. They had been having their Occlumency session when it happened.**_

**_Harry suddenly found himself sitting in a large, dark room. The room was frigidly cold, and there were hooded figures standing all around the edge of the room, holding the end of a chain. He looked down at a large hunched up figure lying a few feet before him. The figure was bound in the chains, thrashing and screaming with pain. _**

**((((o))))**

"Perhaps that should teach you the folly of calling me by that name," The Dark Lord said coldly as he lifted off the spell.

Hagrid gasped and tried to sit up, but the pain was too much and he collapsed back on the floor, his body shivering uncontrollably.

"Beg me not to do that again," Voldemort said softly, savoring the feeling of having the half-giant completely at his mercy.

The man lying on the floor lifted his great, shaggy head. "Never. I'll never bow to the likes o' yeh," he said angrily.

'_Crucio.'_

**((((o))))**

_**Harry gasped. The man was Hagrid. They had gotten Hagrid.**_

**((((o))))**

Voldemort noticed the presence of the boy-who-lived in his mind and smiled cruelly.

"Such bravery," he taunted. "Tell me, is this bravery caused by some foolish notion that you have? Maybe you feel that Albus Dumbledore will come to your rescue?"

Hagrid struggled to crawl to his knees. He could not fail Dumbledore. He would not show fear to the creature before him. He owed the great wizard that much.

"He'll come," Hagrid said with firm belief in his eyes. "Dumbledore will come for me."

Voldemort threw back his head and laughed.

"_Crucio."_

"Then call him. Your friend, Harry Potter, is right here with us and can see everything. Tell him to call Dumbledore to your rescue. Or tell him to come himself. Let's see if your heroes can save you from Lord Voldemort."

**((((o))))**

_**Harry's head seemed like it would explode with pain. He desperately tried to pull away and break the connection, but Voldemort held him tightly in his grip and made him watch Hagrid scream in agony. **_

**((((o))))**

'This is how it will be for all your friends, Potter,' Voldemort said maliciously. 'I'll kill them one by one. Watch as I destroy your world.'

'_**No!' Harry screamed. 'I won't let you harm them.'**_

"_**Harry, what's happening?" Dumbledore asked urgently from beside him. **_

"_**It's Voldemort… he's got Hagrid," Harry gasped, as he yet again tried to break the contact. "Go… I'll be fine… Please… just save him."**_

_**Dumbledore nodded and moved off swiftly to alert the Order.**_

**((((o))))**

Voldemort looked at Hagrid in amusement. "It seems that Potter has alerted Dumbledore. Do you feel safe now?"

Hagrid did not answer, but his posture straightened defiantly.

"Yeh can kill me Tom, won' make no difference. Dumbledore will get yeh in the end."

"You fool!" Voldemort said scornfully. "That old man has one leg in the grave. If he could have killed me, don't you think he would have done so by now? The next time I meet the old coot, I'll send him to meet you."

Hagrid shook his head weakly. "Dumbledore may be old, but he's still more powerful then yeh'll ever be. An' he has Harry with him. That boy doesn't know how ter lose. He's beaten yeh before an' he'll do it again."

Suddenly, Hagrid leapt to his feet and with superhuman strength, hurled his chains off and rushed towards the Dark Lord, letting out a loud war cry that would have chilled the dead.

He knew he was going to die here today. But if he were to die, he would not go quietly and be played around with. His whole body trembled with anger for the demon before him. The one person that had destroyed his whole life.

The Dark Lord looked at him, a bestial smile on his face, before lazily raising his wand and pointing it at Hagrid.

'_Reducto.'_

**((((o))))**

"**_NO!" Harry screamed, as the connection was abruptly broken off. He collapsed on the floor and rolled up into a ball, his whole body shaking violently with grief as the hot tears ran down his cheeks._**

_**Harry vaguely felt Dumbledore try and comfort him but he roughly pushed him away.**_

_**Hagrid was dead. And he hadn't been able to do anything but watch.**_

**((((o))))**


	12. Terror Filled Nights

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (10)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** If you truly believe that I own Harry Potter and that I'm making money out of this, just imagine in what other ways I can con you. (Rubs hands in glee)

**Sharon thank you yet again for the wonderful job you are doing.**

**Tricia once again thank you for all your excellent beta work.**

**I also thank Rachael, my second beta and friend, who gives me the motivation to keep writing.**

**OoOoOoO**

**Terror Filled Nights**

**OoOoOoO**

"What is it, Mum?" Ginny asked curiously, as she, Ron and Hermione took seats at the kitchen table. She noticed that all the adults at the table had very somber expressions on their faces.

"We have something we need to tell you," Arthur said slowly.

"What is it? Is it Harry? Is he ok?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"It's not Harry," Remus said soothingly. "Nothing's happened to him."

Remus' conscience gave a sharp twinge at this. It might be said that Harry was physically fine, but mentally he was sure to be in pretty bad shape. Hagrid had been very close to him, and to see him die like that…

"Then what? Just cut out the suspense and tell us already," Ron said irritably. He was really fed up of all the plotting, secrecy and the lack of information. It seemed like everybody was hiding something or the other and they were the only ones not deemed old enough, or _important_ enough to be told anything.

"It's Hagrid, dear," Molly said wiping a tear from her eye. "He… he got…"

"He got captured by Voldemort a few days ago," Remus said quietly, finishing what the Weasley matriarch obviously couldn't.

Molly had been totally against telling them about this, but finally Arthur had convinced her that it would be for the best if they told them. He reasoned that they would find out soon enough and it would be better that they heard it from them rather than find it out accidentally.

The three children looked like they had been struck by lightening.

"What! How?" Ron exclaimed in horror.

"We don't know how," Bill sighed. "We only know that he got captured."

"He's not just captured, is he? He's dead… that's why you are even telling us, isn't it?" Ginny asked in a small voice. She didn't really want to know the answer to her question, as she was sure she wouldn't like it.

The adults exchanged uneasy looks and Ron's temper began to rise again.

Finally Arthur nodded.

There was absolute silence as the three children tried to comprehend the immensity of the tragedy.

"How can you be sure that he's dead?" Hermione choked, her voice showing the effort she was making to suppress her tears.

Molly looked over helplessly at Arthur and then Remus. Both had tired looks on their faces. They had spent the past two days leading the search for Hagrid with the rest of the Order, and were exhausted.

"Harry saw the whole thing. That's how we found out," Tonks sighed.

"Harry saw everything? How could he see?" Hermione shrieked. "Oh! You mean through his link with V-Voldemort?" she said slowly, as it suddenly hit her.

Everybody except Remus, Bill and Ginny flinched at the name.

"Yes, thankfully Dumbledore was with him when it happened," Remus said running a hand through his hair frustratedly. He knew that Dumbledore being there had done nothing. No one could have done anything. Harry had seen _every_ gruesome detail.

Ron's face darkened as he heard this. He still was upset that Harry had not told them beforehand about his lessons and not let them join him. Hadn't they always fought beside him? Didn't they also deserve to learn to defend themselves? That this was happening after the whole affair at the Ministry, where all of them had fought just as bravely by his side, made him even angrier.

His thoughts were interrupted by Ginny's horrified voice:

"Oh no! He must be devastated. He loved Hagrid very much… and for this to happen so soon after Sirius…"

Hermione realized this too and she couldn't control her tears anymore and they fell in hot streaks down her cheeks. "Isn't it possible… Couldn't it just be another trick of You-Know-Who?" she asked in a desperate voice, trying to cling to any hope possible.

There was a thick silence in the room as the three children waited for an answer.

The four adults desperately wanted to lie to them right now. To say that yes, it was a possibility that Hagrid was still alive. But in the long run it would backfire spectacularly on them. There was no use giving them false hope.

"No, there's no mistake. Not this time," Remus whispered.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry stood alone in a dark room. It was small and claustrophobic and he looked around, trying to find an exit out of the place.

Suddenly a large, pearly white form materialized in front of him.

Harry gasped. "Hagrid! Is that you?" he said staring at the ghostly figure of the half-giant.

"Yeh didn' come," Hagrid said sadly, looking down at Harry. "Yeh just stood there an' watched him kill me."

Harry looked down at his feet, unable to meet his eyes. The guilt hit him like a ton of bricks and left him shaking.

"I… I tried my best Hagrid. If there was anything I could have done…"

"But yeh knew abou' the prophecy," Hagrid interrupted. "Yeh're the one supposed ter stop him. Yeh saved Ginny from the Basilisk. Why not me, Harry? Why didn't yeh come fer me?"

Harry looked up, his eyes full of tears. "I'm sorry… so sorry… I failed you."

"Sorry," said a new voice. "That's all you ever are, aren't you? You think that one word will solve everything."

Harry looked around and was stunned to see Sirius walking towards him.

"_S-s-sirius?"_

"Yes, Sirius," the gaunt figure of his godfather snarled. "You had to go and stick your nose into trouble, didn't you? Dumbledore told you that it was important to learn Occlumency. I gave you the damn mirrors so that you could contact me. But what do you do? You go and charge to the Ministry on a suicide mission, taking all your friends along, no less."

"I…I thought that he had you. I had to come to try and save you," Harry pleaded.

"You have brains for a reason, Harry. Learn to use it before you get everyone killed," Sirius barked.

"Of course he won't do that," another voice said coldly.

Harry closed his eyes. He knew who this was.

"I told him. Take the cup. But no! He has to go on his whole nobility complex. Voldemort comes after _him_ and _I_ get killed for it. Best part is that _he_ actually managed to escape," Cedric said coldly. "You must have been very happy, Harry. You could finally move in on Cho."

"It wasn't like that," Harry said brokenly.

"Oh, no? I seem to remember you dating her all of last year. I had hardly been dead for a few months and you made your move."

Harry hung his head. He could see why Cedric would see it like that. Hearing it from Cedric's mouth he knew that it sounded _exactly_ like that.

Two more figures materialized.

"How could you do this, Harry?" a woman's voice said softly, disappointment etched in her voice. "Your Dad and I died to make sure you lived. To make sure you took care of that monster. How could you be so irresponsible?"

"I'm ashamed of you, Harry," James said in a bitter tone. "This would have ended that night in the Shrieking Shack. Remus and Sirius wanted to kill that traitor. He escaped because of _you…_ and now Voldemort is back. Three people have already died because of your actions. How many more will die before you realize your mistakes?"

"More of his nobility complex. Always wants to play the hero. I suppose that his friends will be the next to go," Cedric said angrily.

"I…I'm sorry," Harry sobbed. "I… I'll do anything. Just please don't hate me. I promise not to let anyone else die."

Sirius snorted. "What you_ will_ do is probably get Dumbledore killed next. You go and stick your head in all kinds of trouble and he has to bail you out."

"No… No… I won't let that happen," Harry said shaking his head violently, his entire body trembling.

Suddenly he found himself being gently shaken awake. "Wake up, Harry Potter, you is having a nightmare."

Harry jerked awake, his breaths coming in sharp, rapid bursts. Tears were flowing down his face and he slowly wiped them and untangled his feet from the sheets that were bundled up at his feet.

"Thanks Dobby," he whispered. "Might as well get up. I don't think I'll get any more sleep tonight."

**OoOoOoO**

Ron and Hermione sat on a couch in the living room. Both of them reeling with the news of the tragedy.

"I can't believe it. It has to be a trick of some sort," Ron said finally. "I mean not Hagrid… anybody but Hagrid."

Hermione listened to him silently, lost in her own thoughts.

"I mean how can they be so sure? What exactly did Harry see? They weren't very specific about that, were they? Maybe he's still alive," Ron went on, his voice rising slightly.

"I'm such a horrible person," Hermione said softly.

"What? Horrible person? What are you going on about, Hermione?" Ron asked in a baffled tone.

Hermione wiped a tear from her eye. "Last year… when he was gone… I… I couldn't help feeling glad that he wasn't there to conduct the lessons. _Oh God! I hate myself."_

Ron watched in alarm as Hermione put her face in her hands and started sobbing bitterly. He was totally unsure of what to do. Right now he would rather face Aragog again, than handle a crying Hermione.

He hesitantly reached out and pulled her to him, hugging her awkwardly. She clung to him and putting her head on his shoulder started crying more furiously.

Ron ran his hands up and down her back, remembering how his Mother would comfort Ginny when she used to cry.

"Don't talk like that, Hermione," Ron said softly. "You aren't a horrible person."

"Yes, I am," Hermione sobbed. "Only I could think like that. I was so happy with proper lessons that I never even gave a thought to Hagrid."

"No, you weren't the only one," Ron said firmly. "I would be lying if I said I didn't feel the same. It doesn't mean you don't love Hagrid. I… I was afraid that he would have brought a Chimera or a Manticore to class if he was teaching last year. It was a relief to actually attend a class where you weren't afraid of being eaten alive by the study material."

Hermione made a funny gagging sound and Ron had a weird feeling that she was trying hard not to giggle.

"Hermione?"

Hermione pushed herself away from him and wiped her eyes on a small hanky. "Thanks Ron."

Ron shrugged embarrassedly. "It's all right."

Hermione let out a small sigh. "I just wish I could meet him once more. He wasn't around most of last year and after that he had to go into hiding from the Ministry. We hardly had a good talk with him at all."

"Yeah," Ron said tiredly. "Times like this you realize just how little control you have over anything."

He looked over at Hermione who was staring off sadly into space again.

Hagrid's death had shocked Ron badly. Suddenly he realized that they were in a war, where anybody could die anytime. Tomorrow was just a promise, there were no guarantees.

"Hermione…"

"Hmm?" Hermione said absently, looking up at Ron. What she saw in his eyes made her heart beat faster.

"I… I have wanted to tell you something for a long time… but I just couldn't." Ron paused and took a deep breath. "I was scared… _so scared_. But what scares me more now, is not telling you, and losing the chance forever."

Hermione gently took his hand and squeezed it. She looked at him with her heart in her eyes. "Tell me," she whispered.

Ron took a deep breath and gathered his courage.

"I… I care for you Hermione… for a long time now I have thought of you as something more than a friend. I guess what I'm trying to say is… _Merlin this is hard!_ I kind of… _fancy_ you," Ron muttered, his face going a deep tomato red. "I know you might not feel the same… and that's OK. I just wanted to let you know. I couldn't hold it in any longer."

He was unable to look at her after his little confession and he was sure that he was either going to be screamed at, or slapped. Privately he would rather take the slap. The screaming would be much, much, more embarrassing.

Hermione smiled and pulled his head up. "You prat! You can be so clueless at times. If you observed a little more closely you'd have seen that I felt the same way."

"Really?" Ron said incredulously, unable to believe her statement.

"Really," Hermione said softly, caressing his hand with hers.

Ron looked like he had been declared Quidditch Captain of England. He was literally bursting with joy.

Hermione laughed at him and reaching over grabbed his head and pulled him down to her.

"I've been waiting for this a long time, Ron Weasley," she whispered, her warm breath inches away from his face.

Then she lifted her head up and pressed her lips to his, running her hands through his hair as she gently kissed him for the first time.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry found himself standing in a lush, green meadow. His eyes moved over the land around him, which rolled gently as far as the eye could see. He realized that he was all alone. A small brook bubbled merrily from nearby and he could hear a few sparrows chirping from a clump of bushes as they foraged for crumbs.

All around him the sounds of nature came to his ears. The sound of life in all its glory.

A cool breeze blew, ruffling his hair and making his robes flutter.

He lay down on the soft, springy grass and shut his eyes to enjoy the feel of the sun on his face.

With every breath he took he could smell the fragrance of the damp earth mixed with the scent of crushed grass and a faint whiff of lavender.

A smile tugged on his lips as he enjoyed the peace and quiet. He never wanted to leave here. If he could just stay here for ever he would ask for nothing else. Soon he felt himself begin to drift off as his body relaxed completely.

He woke up a little while later, feeling a strange sticky sensation on his face and body. He realized that he could no longer feel the coolness of the grass, and the ground beneath him was burning up. The sounds of the sparrows and the brook were all gone and there was a deathly silence all around.

He pushed himself up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and glanced down at himself. For a minute he couldn't believe his eyes and then he screamed.

_He was covered in blood from head to foot._

His eyes fell on his surroundings and he stood mute in horror. He was standing in a hot, arid desert that stretched endlessly in all directions. The sun shone down mercilessly on him and there wasn't a hint of breeze to relieve him from the oppressive heat.

But that wasn't what shocked him.

All around him were bodies, _dead bodies_. Hundreds of people who were mutilated and tortured to an unrecognizable state.

He suddenly felt a shadow on his face and glanced up instinctively. The sky was darkened by the presence of large birds who were flying around in a circle above him. He squinted his eyes to be able to see better and immediately realized what they were.

_Vultures_. Hundreds of them.

The scavengers circled around lazily, biding their time. They eyed Harry warily, waiting to see if he posed any threat to them.

Harry suddenly saw a bunch of them swoop down on an old man's body nearby, apparently having waited long enough.

He was sickened by the sight of their sharp, greedy beaks tearing into the flesh of the man's body and reached in his pocket for his wand to scare the birds away.

He suddenly found himself frozen in place, unable to move his body. He panicked. What was happening to him? He looked up to see the birds still moving about and realized it was just him that couldn't move. He struggled to move again. The birds were scaring him, and he wanted the reassuring feel of his wand in his hand.

Suddenly the utter silence was disturbed by a cold, cruel laugh.

Harry was almost afraid to look up but he gathered his remaining courage and lifted his eyes.

Before him was a tall, thin figure, cloaked in midnight black robes. His face was unnaturally pale and flat and he had slits in the place of a nose, like those of a snake.

He looked at Harry maliciously through his pitiless red eyes.

"Harry Potter," he hissed, his voice sounding like a hissing snake. Oddly it sounded natural coming from him. "We meet yet again."

Harry closed his eyes and began to struggle again to try and move.

Voldemort laughed. "What's the matter, Potter? Having a little trouble?"

"What do you want?" Harry said through gritted teeth.

Voldemort smiled cruelly. "Oh, I'm in no hurry. Let's chat a bit and catch up first. Or do you prefer business before pleasure?"

"What I _would_ prefer is that you shove a wand up your arse and say _'Reducto,'_" Harry said angrily.

"Temper, temper," Voldemort said silkily. "I don't think you are in a position where you can afford to make it even more difficult for yourself."

Harry ignored him and continued to struggle against his bonds.

"Can't break the hold, can you? And they say you will defeat me. Pathetic little Harry Potter who is to defeat the might of Lord Voldemort! Tell me Potter, are you afraid?"

Harry looked up then, his green eyes blazing with hate. "I am not and will _never_ be afraid of you."

Voldemort merely smiled. "Ah, such bravery! But perhaps I know of something that will strike fear of me into your heart, Potter."

The Dark Lord snapped his fingers and a moment later the figures of Ron, Hermione and Ginny materialized before them. They were all tied up and struggling against their bonds.

Harry's eyes widened with shock and the beginnings of very real fear.

With another snap a long sword appeared in Voldemort's hands and he walked around the tied up group, looking at all of them in amusement.

"Still feeling heroic, Potter?" Voldemort taunted

"Leave them alone," Harry yelled.

"Hmm… No, I don't think I'll do that, if it's all right with you. Now let's see… who should die first?"

Harry struggled, putting everything he had into the effort of making his hand move.

"Eenie meenie miney mo, tell me Potter, who should be the first to go?" Voldemort rhymed cruelly.

"Leave them alone, you bastard. I swear if you harm any of them I'll tear you apart with my bare hands," Harry screamed.

"Words won't get you anywhere, Potter. Now is the time you test your powers against mine. Save your friends, _if you can_."

He stopped before Ron "I guess he'll do. Any last words you want to say to him?"

Harry furiously jerked against whatever was holding him in place.

"Guess not." Saying this he plunged the sword right into Ron's heart. Blood flew everywhere, and splattered all over Harry's face.

It happened so quickly that it left Harry dazed. How could a precious life be ended so easily? He watched in horror as Ron screamed and fell to the ground, blood staining his robes from the mortal wound.

Voldemort pulled the sword out with a jerk and smiled. "Afraid yet, Potter?"

Harry's face contorted in rage and he jerked his body till he felt he was coming apart at the seams. He yelled obscenities at the monster before him, overcome by maniacal rage.

Voldemort walked forward and stepped in front of Ginny. "Ah! Ginevra Weasley. I remember you quite well. You keep a delightful Diary. Ready for round two, Potter? On the count of three… One…two…three."

"NO," Harry screamed. He could do nothing but watch as Voldemort plunged the sword straight into Ginny's chest.

"I had told you this would be how it ended." Voldemort's voice hissed over Ginny's dying screams. "But you played the hero. _'I won't let you harm them!'_ Isn't that what you had said? Well, I'm waiting, Potter. Last chance. Save her if you can."

He stopped in front of Hermione. "Ah! The smart little mudblood. It's almost a shame to kill you so quickly. If I had my way I would definitely have made different plans for you," he said running a pale finger over her face and lips and moving it down her body.

"Let me go, you bastard. If you're so powerful fight me fairly."

"I really do need to teach you some manners, Potter," Voldemort snarled. "What's the matter? Surely the great Harry Potter, the savior of the world, can get out of this little situation. Or perhaps you await Dumbledore? Perhaps you feel he will come to your rescue?"

He looked at Harry and smiled cruelly. Out of a corner of his eyes Harry noticed the group of vultures suddenly take off and saw in horror the body that they had been feasting on.

The dead man was tall and thin and wore sky blue robes which were scattered with golden stars. He had a long silver beard and a long crooked nose.

'No it can't be him. It could have been anybody,' Harry told his terrified brain desperately.

But then his eyes fell on the pair of cracked, half-moon glasses lying near the body and _he knew._

Suddenly all of the bodies around him started to become clearer. He looked in horror at the fallen bodies of the Order - Moony, Tonks, Molly, Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Mundungus, Moody, Kingsley, Hestia Jones, Dedalus Diggle.

His body slumped defeatedly and he stopped struggling. _It was over._

He lifted his eyes and met those of Hermione and he saw the despair and hopelessness reflected there too. She had accepted that she was going to die.

He watched as Voldemort raised his sword and quickly brought it down, thrusting it deep into Hermione's chest."

"NO," Harry shrieked, his voice sounding like it held the despair of a thousand years within it.

Suddenly his vision began to blur and he felt the scene vanishing. He felt tiny hands shaking him awake.

"Wake up, Harry Potter, sir," Dobby said shaking him gently. "You is having a nightmare."

Harry's eyes shot open and he looked at the tiny House-elf through horror filled eyes, from which tears were slowly trickling down.

He angrily wiped his tears away.

**OoOoOoO**

The nightmares had been plaguing him everyday for the past two weeks, ever since Hagrid died. They didn't let him have a single night's rest and he was lucky if he got more than three hours of sleep on any given night.

He had thrown himself completely into his training, working as if he was possessed. He had made progress in leaps and bounds in Occlumency, and he could block Dumbledore out for upto five minutes now. The Headmaster had been greatly surprised and pleased with his progress.

McGonagall had started teaching him Conjuration and he had surprised her with how fast he picked it up. He wasn't up to conjuring large objects like armchairs and beds yet, but he was quickly progressing. One problem was that he couldn't make his objects last for more than half an hour at most. McGonagall assured him that this would improve with time.

Flitwick, too, was very impressed with him, as Harry mastered many of the more powerful hexes. The tiny Professor was also stunned at the power behind some of Harry's hexes. It was beyond what he had seen for any normal sixteen year old. Harry was sure to become a very powerful wizard when older.

His shield charms were getting very powerful as well, and Flitwick had trouble breaching it at times. He had started teaching Harry the advanced silver shield that Voldemort had conjured in the Ministry while dueling Dumbledore. This was very difficult but Harry was making progress on it.

But the most progress was made at Dueling and Apparating.

Harry had started working like a madman at his dueling and spent nearly every spare moment at the Auror Headquarters working with who ever was available at the time.

His signature had been given access to the Headquarters and now he could apparate in whenever he wanted and he made great use of this.

Kingsley had arranged for him to be granted his apparition license early and since Sirius had already emancipated him this was done immediately. The testers had been quite impressed by his skill.

He had taken Mad-Eye's advice to heart and started working on controlling his noise while apparating and increasing his speed.

Now, nearly two weeks later, he had managed to lower his sound until it was a soft pop and his speed was down to one-tenth of a second. Still not perfectly safe to use in a duel but much better than before.

His lessons with McGonagall and Flitwick, as well as his Martial Arts training had helped him tremendously. He had improved his speed, reflexes and his knowledge of spells by leaps and bounds. This, coupled with his raw magical power was a deadly combination and he was now on par with a few of the Aurors in dueling capability. He had managed to duel Tonks to a draw several times. But Moody still managed to wipe the floor with him every time.

One of the problems that Moody had been on Harry's case about was his habit of shouting the spells out.

"You give the game away as soon as you cast," Moody had yelled. "Your opponent already knows what you are going to hit him with and can easily block or dodge your spell."

He had drilled Harry thoroughly in silent spell casting. At first Harry wasn't able to get the hang of it and the few low level jinxes he managed were laughably weak. But he had practiced it hour after hour, day after day, until now he was fairly proficient at it. He still couldn't generate as much power as he did when he cast the spells out loud but they were still effective.

Moody reassured him that this would change with time and as he got more comfortable with silent spellcasting. It was just a mental block. He had been so used to saying the spells out loud that this new way was foreign to him.

The Aurors had been impressed with Harry's vast improvement and there was large scale betting going on as to when he would finally beat Moody. They all knew that once Harry was fully trained not many of them would be able to match him. His magical potential was just being tapped into and he would only improve with age. One of the great examples of this was his ability to cast a Corporeal Patronus. While all of them were required to be able to cast the Patronus in order to become Aurors, none of them could have cast it in their third year at Hogwarts.

Harry worked on his spellbooks and Arithmancy most of the night. His nightmares never let him sleep anyway, so he threw himself into his research and studies.

He had not been answering his friend's letters all that often and when he did they were short and to the point. He noticed that Ron hadn't written back after the first few times.

He just couldn't bring himself to answer their questions or to listen to their comforting words.

He had subscribed to the _Daily Prophet_ at the beginning of the summer to keep himself informed of the news and now there were nearly daily reports of attacks on Muggles, Muggle-borns and Squibs.

Not a day went by without seeing the sight of a Dark Mark in sky. Voldemort had announced his return with a vengeance, now that everybody knew he was back, and the days of terror had resumed. The second war had truly begun in earnest.

The attacks only made Harry push himself harder and increased the severity of his nightmares. He tried his hardest to keep himself so busy that he wouldn't have to deal with any of it.

Pat, Sean, Jack and Alan had tried several times to get him to ease up and go out for an evening on the town but he had steadfastly refused all their attempts. He didn't want them in any danger and he was in no mood to be near anybody.

Sean and Jack were tempted to kidnap him from his room anyway, but Pat, who had found out about the Death Eaters attacks from her parents talking one night, and later from Harry, had made some excuses for him and told the boys to leave him alone for a few days.

**OoOoOoO**

Ron entered the library looking for Hermione. She had come to spend quite a bit of her time in here, browsing through the old tomes of the large Black family Library. He too had started to spend a lot of time here, partly because he wanted to be with Hermione, and partly because he was bored.

He looked around and noticed that she wasn't in the room. He sighed and turned to leave when he noticed Bill's open briefcase lying on the table. A thick, green ledger inside it caught his eye. He moved closer and saw that it had Harry's name on it.

His curiosity was totally piqued now. He knew that he shouldn't be looking through Bill's briefcase, but he had been kept in the dark too long and he felt that Harry had not told them half of what he had been upto during the summer. He suddenly _had_ to know more.

Looking around to make sure that Bill wasn't anywhere near, he quickly opened the book and glanced through it.

He realized with annoyance that it was all about properties and shares and investments and was about to shut it with disgust when he noticed an entry. His eyes widened and he bent down to look closer.

Suddenly he was roughly pushed away and found himself face to face with a furious Bill.

"I didn't know I gave you permission to look through my briefcase, Ronald," Bill said coldly. "All my work is extremely private and I do not appreciate you putting your large nose where it does not belong."

Normally Ron would have been red with embarrassment by this stage, instead he glared at Bill.

"Harry gave two million Galleons to Mum and Dad?" he said angrily.

Bill's eyes narrowed. "It's none of your business, Ron."

"Don't give me that! How could he? How could Mum and Dad accept it?" Ron yelled.

"I hardly think they need to take advice from _you_ as to what they should and should not do," Bill said crossly.

"So, you think its all right to accept charity like that?" Ron asked furiously.

Bill looked at Ron in distaste. "Harry is your best friend, Ron. Do you really think he thought of this as giving us charity?"

"Well, what is it then? Who gives that much money away to somebody?"

Bill shook his head sadly. "You are so petty, Ron. You will not understand it. It's a waste of my time to even _try_ to explain."

He snapped the briefcase shut and walked out of the library, leaving behind a very frustrated and angry Ron.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry threw himself to the ground, rolling forward to avoid the shriveling hex that Moody threw at him and getting up smoothly, threw a stunner back at him.

Moody put up a shield and blocked it easily, sending it back to where Harry had been standing a second before.

Harry was rapidly getting frustrated. It always happened like this. Though Moody wasn't very athletic, he had an amazingly fast cast rate and he could throw a barrage of spells so quickly at him that he had no choice but to go on the defensive.

He wished that there was some kind of shield spell that you didn't have to actively keep up. Then he would be able to attack Moody as well as defend himself.

Unfortunately, there wasn't such a shield. Even the silver shield that Voldemort had conjured had to either be maintained wandlessly once conjured or held up with one's wand, leaving the person unable to cast any spell.

Harry was fast enough so that Moody found it very difficult to hit him, but finally it was all down to endurance. One wrong move on his part would hand him defeat.

Moody also had the very unfair advantage of having the bloody magical eye, which negated the use of all masking, cloaking and illusion charms.

Suddenly Harry had an idea and he dived to his side and flicked his wand.

Moody gave a surprised yelp as his magical eye shot out of his eye socket and flew to Harry's hand.

"Let's see how well you do without this," Harry muttered as he caught the eye and shoved it in his pocket.

He quickly cast the Disillusionment charm on himself and began moving carefully around the room, advancing on Moody.

"Good one, Potter. You're finally learning," Moody growled.

Harry didn't answer and silently moved closer to him.

Suddenly Moody flicked his wand and a jet of white powder flew out of it. He moved around swiftly, spraying it everywhere.

Harry, who had not been expecting anything of the sort, was hit fully by it.

"Aha!" Moody yelled triumphantly as he shot a stunner at the white, powder coated Harry.

Harry had reacted the same instant and he too shot a stunner at Moody.

Moody was unable to avoid the stunner in time and both he and Harry went down.

Tonks, who had been watching the duel with undisguised glee, hastily revived the two.

"That was brilliant, Harry," she said as she helped Harry up.

"Yes, Potter, you are finally getting somewhere. You need to work more on your casting speed, but you're improving," Moody said grudgingly.

They were interrupted by the arrival of Kingsley. All three of them immediately noticed the look on his face. He looked tired, sad and _very_ angry. His face looked like it had aged by years.

"Moody, we have a Code Red," he whispered.

Mad-Eye and Tonks both looked up in shock. Harry didn't understand what a 'Code Red' was, but he knew that it had to be something really bad to get that reaction from Moody and Tonks.

"What happened?" Moody growled.

"Three Aurors were ambushed near Brighton. They went to check out a phony Death Eater sighting when they were jumped by Death Eaters. All three were killed," Kingsley said bitterly.

"Did they manage to get any of the attackers?" Tonks asked hopefully.

"It seems that they managed to stun them a few times but they were revived as soon as they were stunned," Kingsley replied slowly.

"I keep telling Amelia that we can't go on like this. If they use Unforgivables on us we need to have the authority to kill in defense," Moody growled furiously.

Kingsley clenched his jaw angrily. "You're right. It can't go on this way. I'm going to talk to Amelia about this. Enough is enough!"

**OoOoOoO**


	13. Trouble in the Park

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (11)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** If you truly believe that I own Harry Potter and that I'm making money out of this, just imagine in what other ways I can con you. (Rubs hands in glee)

**Sharon, thank you yet again for the wonderful job you are doing.**

**Tricia… I need a thesaurus to tell you just how brilliant you are and how much of a help you are to me. Thank you.**

**Rachel, thank you for the rush beta jobs and your support. I really appreciate it.**

**OoOoOoO**

**Chapter 11 – Trouble in the Park**

**OoOoOoO**

It was a lazy Sunday morning and Harry Potter sat in front of his desk, a pile of books open before him. He was writing rapidly on a long roll of parchment and stopping every few minutes to read from one of the books before resuming writing.

He was working on his Arithmancy. The subject had begun to fascinate him and he knew that there was a lot of potential in it. Ever since he had started breaking down the spells to study them he had understood them much better. His stunners and disarming spells had become much more powerful because of this.

He knew that he had three years of work to catch up on before he was up to the level of the sixth years and so he had begun to spend a lot of time catching up and reading the earlier course material. To his immense surprise he found that he was able to grasp the concepts pretty well. He had always been good at math in school and that helped immensely. Most magical children never studied math on the level it was taught at Muggle schools and so Harry was much better at it than most of the purebloods. Although he understood the basics quite well, the subject was still very tricky. The smallest mistake could mean the difference between success and failure. There was no middle ground, either you got it right or you got it wrong.

Harry found himself frustrated several times when he found several hours of his work had gone down the drain because of one miniscule mistake he had made somewhere in his work. But at the same time it was very satisfying to finally get it right.

Ancient runes, too, was a fascinating subject. The wizarding world dated back thousands of years. The founding of Hogwarts could be considered quite a recent happening if you compared it to the early era of magic, back when Elves and Dwarves lived amongst the humans, literally thousands of years ago.

The earliest runes were those introduced by the fair Elves. Through the centuries, and the many civilizations, new runes were introduced. Those of Atlantis, from the Egyptian era, the Greek Runes, and the ones from the Dark Ages and the Founders Era.

Runes were words of great power and when combined in the correct order could bring about astonishing results. The most powerful runes were still those of the Elves but relatively little was known about them and those few books that were written on the subject were extremely rare and almost impossible to find.

Runes could be used in shields to strengthen them but it made it very tricky to cast. Also it was a massive drain on one's power to keep them up for any great length of time.

Harry had been very interested to find a solution to this. There had to be a way to create a shield that would overcome all these problems. He had realized in his duels against Mad-eye that it would be invaluable to have a strong, easy to maintain shield in his repertoire.

The _Protego_ shield, while it was quite strong, and had the other advantage of reflecting back spells at the caster, was very draining to cast and only a very powerful wizard could cast it repeatedly. In a long and drawn out duel it wasn't a very good idea to use it.

Harry was very interested to see if he couldn't create his own shield that overcame all these difficulties. But he knew that to even think about that he would have to put in a lot of work in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes.

He was so involved in his work that he was unaware of the doorbell ringing.

A few minutes later, though, he startled to hear his Aunt's voice screeching. "Boy, get down here."

'What now?' Harry thought irritatedly.

He got up slowly and made his way down and saw his Aunt's horsy face contorted in annoyance.

"Is there anything you wanted, Aunt Petunia," Harry said as politely as he could manage, which _wasn't_ very polite.

Petunia Dursley's eyes narrowed at his tone. "Those three boys and that freak girl are here for you," she said jerking her head to the door.

Harry's eyes hardened. "You can call me whatever you want, but if I ever hear you badmouthing her, or any of my friends, I swear I will make you regret it."

Petunia Dursley bristled and opened her mouth to put her nephew in his place. She immediately closed it when she looked into his eyes. They were ice cold and held a dangerous look in them that made her shiver.

They were the eyes of the boy who had seen and faced such evil that it would break the bravest of men. They were not the eyes of a sixteen year old. They were too knowing, too hard, and absolutely fearless. A coward like Petunia Dursley could never meet them without flinching.

Harry turned around and walked to the door and slowly opened it.

"Hi mate," Jack said cheerfully. "Listen, Independence Day just released this Friday and we just _have_ _to_ go catch it. Get ready fast."

"Erm guys…" Harry started in an apologetic tone.

"Harry," Pat interrupted firmly. "You have been brooding long enough. If you aren't ready in five minutes we are going to break into your room and drag you to the movie as you are."

"You wouldn't!" Harry said in alarm.

"Oh yes, we would and _we will_," Sean said warningly. Alan nodded, backing up his statement.

Harry sighed in frustration. "Oh, all right. I'll go get changed."

Harry pulled on a pair of jeans and t-shirt and strapped on a wand holster to his wrist. The full sleeved sweatshirt covered it up well. He had taken to wearing the Dragon hide vest everywhere. It was supposed to be worn under the clothes, as close to the skin as possible. At first it had been uncomfortable but he had slowly got used to it. He had decided that he might as well wear it if it was meant to protect him.

He pulled on a pair of sneakers and rushed downstairs, Just in time it seemed because as soon as he was out of the door Jack commented:

"You cut it really fine. We were just about to come in."

"You guys are impossible!" Harry said shaking his head.

"Aren't we?" Sean said cheerfully. "Now get in. We don't want to be late for the film."

Harry rolled his eyes and got into the back seat of the car with Pat and Alan.

They reached the theater just in time and managed to get tickets. While Sean was buying the tickets, Jack and Alan brought the Popcorn and Coke's.

They rushed in the theater just as the opening credits were rolling in.

Harry found himself enjoying the experience. It was great fun watching the movie on a widescreen and eating hot buttered popcorn. The movie was fun, if a bit unbelievable, and Harry found it easy to lose himself in the story.

One irritating factor for Harry was Sean, who was seated between him and Pat. He insisted on making comments loudly about every scene in the movie.

"These Americans have an obsession with saving the world, what mate?" he snorted, elbowing Harry and making him spill some of his coke on himself.

Finally Harry and Pat both lost it when he started guffawing in the middle of the President's speech during the climax of the movie. They both whacked him on the back of his head and glared at him fiercely, telling him to shut up.

"Owww!!" Sean howled. "You guys are no fun at times."

The rest of the movie passed quietly and there were no more comments from Sean. But from time to time there were small grumbling noises coming from him which Harry found just as irritating as the comments.

He resolved never to sit next to him next time. He had a suspicion that Jack and Alan knew about Sean's habit and purposely took seats away from him.

"So did you enjoy yourself?" Pat quietly asked when they were returning home.

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Harry said shyly.

"Harry… maybe I shouldn't be asking you this and you don't have to answer, but what happened? Why the hermit act over the past two weeks?" Alan asked.

Harry sighed and wondered what to tell them. On one hand he was tempted to lie and avoid the issue and on the other hand he knew he owed it to them to atleast explain himself. They were friends of his and they had been more than understanding so far. But he couldn't just keep them hanging like that.

"A close friend of mine got murdered. It happened in front of my eyes… I was unable to do anything," Harry whispered softly.

Harry knew that Hagrid had not actually died in front of him but he had no clue how to explain his scar link to Voldemort to them. And to him it _had_ felt that Hagrid had died right before his eyes.

All of them gasped. Pat, ofcourse, knew about it, but she hadn't known that Harry had seen the actual murder with his own eyes.

"Was it the same guy that is after you?" Jack asked slowly.

Harry's eyes filled with hate. "Yeah, it was him," he spat.

"Harry, mate, I still think you should go to the Police. You can't wait like a sitting duck for him to find you," Sean said quietly.

Harry waved it aside. "Forget it. There are just some things you won't understand. I can't go to the Police."

"Then make us understand, Harry. We are your friends. We don't want you to get hurt or killed by some maniac," Jack said frustratedly.

Harry sighed. He knew that their patience would have a limit and someday they would want answers. But the problem was that he couldn't give them the answers they wanted. The Ministry had very strict laws about revealing secrets to Muggles.

"Drop it guys, he'll talk when he's ready," Pat said firmly.

No more was said on the topic, though the boys wanted to say plenty.

"Hey guys, lets go hang out at the park for a bit," Sean said suddenly, trying to lighten the mood again. "It's a lovely day and we shouldn't be spending it indoors. And plus I've been hearing some bad things about that cousin of yours pounding on the youngsters. I think its time we taught him a lesson. Yesterday I saw a nine year old beaten up by him. Poor kid was too terrified to say anything against that fat bastard or his gang."

Harry nodded. Ever since Dudley had found out about him being able to use magic he had started spending nearly every waking minute outside the house with his gang. Apparently he was taking his frustrations out on kids younger than him.

The park was nearly deserted and Harry guessed it was because it was where Dudley's gang usually hung out. Most of the kids were too afraid of being around where they might run into him and his cronies.

He looked around and smiled. The grass was looking cool and inviting and there was a good bit of shade beneath the trees. It would be nice to relax there for a bit. Maybe he might be able to even have a nap. Yes, a nap sounded really good to him.

He was following Alan out of the car when a jet of light flew inches over his head. He immediately ducked, pulling Sean and Alan down with him.

Pat had caught on immediately and she too grabbed Jack and pulled him down on the other side.

"What the…" Sean yelped.

Harry looked up to see six to seven black robed figures advancing on them.

Death Eaters! How the hell did they get here?

He knew that if he was alone he could have easily apparated out. But he had his friends to worry about and they were in grave danger. They would not be able to defend themselves against magic.

How the hell did he manage to get himself into this mess?

He motioned for Sean and Alan to follow him to the other side of the car and the three of them scrambled quickly to take shelter behind the car.

"What the hell's the matter, Harry? Who are those guys and what in the blazes are they shooting at us?" Jack asked angrily.

Before Harry could say a word a cold voice came to their ears. "Come out, Potter. It's useless to run."

"Look, guys, I don't have too much time, so just do as I say at the moment, all right?" Harry said urgently.

"But…but…" Sean stuttered.

"Sean, I promise I'll tell you more later but if we don't act now we are all going to die," Harry said sharply. "Look, guys, just trust me for now. Please."

He turned around and peeked over the car. The Death Eaters were coming closer and closer.

"What do you plan on doing?" Alan asked.

Harry didn't answer. He just tapped all of them with his wand and a moment later they felt a curious sensation. It was as if someone had broken an egg on their head. They were stunned speechless a moment later when all of them disappeared from sight.

"What did you do to us, Harry?" Alan asked fearfully.

"I just disillusioned you. Now you will take on the appearance of whatever surrounding you are in, making you invisible to others," Harry explained.

"Riiiight!" said Alan, to whom the explanation made no sense.

"Ok, I want you guys to make your way to my house. You'll be safe there," Harry said quickly. He turned to Pat. "Once you get there tell Dobby to get Dumbledore and tell him that there are Death Eaters in the Park. Now go and hurry."

"What about you, Harry?" Sean asked.

"I'll take a different route. If we all go together we'll never make it. We have to split up," Harry explained.

"Harry, if you think for one second that we are running away and leaving you behind to face the music you are crazy," Pat said angrily.

"I am doing no such thing. Listen, I can apparate out of here right now if I want. But that means they will come after you. I am just going to distract them for a little while and give you guys enough time to get out of here. Then I am going to get my arse out of here faster than you can say 'Cockroach Clusters.' The sooner you guys leave the sooner I can get away."

"What do you mean Apparate?" Jack asked. He had a shocked and confused look on his face as he tried to make sense of the strange mess he was trapped in. He was _invisible!_ And some people dressed in strange black attire were throwing jets of light at them and trying to kill them. He felt he was in La-la land.

"Later, Jack," Harry said sneaking yet another look at the Death Eaters. They were nearly upon them.

"And how exactly are you going to 'distract' them?" Pat asked with her eyebrow raised.

"Pat, there is a time for discussions, but this is _not_ it. Please just trust me," Harry said nervously as he saw the Death eaters get closer still.

"Shame on you, Potter, hiding like a coward. Dumbledore would be ashamed of you. Now are you going to come out or do we have to hurt your friends?"

Pat gritted her teeth. She still wasn't convinced about leaving Harry but she realized that they couldn't waste any more time sitting here.

"All right, Harry, but promise me you won't try any stunts," Pat pleaded.

Harry nodded. "Now go, and don't stop until you reach my house."

The three boys and Pat moved off and Harry allowed himself to groan. He knew that he couldn't apparate away right now. He had to keep the Death Eaters busy for a while to give his friends plenty of time to get away.

**OoOoOoO**

Pat and the boys were running hard towards a bunch of trees, deciding that the sooner they could get to Harry's house, the sooner they could get him help. The boys still didn't understand what the hell was going on, and running away leaving Harry alone was going against their grain. But they also didn't want to be responsible for any harm coming to Harry. What was happening was completely over their heads.

"Stop, guys," Pat called in a low voice.

Everybody stopped running and stopped to hear what she had to say.

"Are all of you there?" Pat gasped. Three grunts answered her as the boys too caught their breath.

"Ok, we can't leave him like that and go. They'll kill him," Pat said quickly.

"But you heard what Harry said. We have to get to his house and get to Donny… whoever he is," Sean gasped.

"It's Dobby. And yes we need to get to him. But all three of us needn't go. Jack, you run to Harry's house and go up to his room. If his relatives stop you just push them aside. When you get to his room you call for Dobby and he will appear. Tell him to get Dumbledore and come down to the park. Tell him Death Eaters have attacked."

Jack gazed at where Pat was standing and listened to her with a frown. "Ok, run to his house. Go up to his room and call for Dobby. What do you mean he'll appear?"

"Jack, you'll see when you get there," Pat said impatiently. "Now go, and hurry."

"Oh, all right," Jack sighed. "But when all this is over you and Harry are in _deep_ shit."

Saying that he hurried off at a sprint towards Number 4 Privet Drive.

Pat turned to where she though Sean and Alan were standing. "Ok, guys, we need to make out way back to Harry. If any jet of light is thrown in your direction make sure it doesn't hit you. Got it?"

"Don't let any jet of light hit you… got it," Sean muttered. "Any good asking what it will do if it does hit us?"

"If it hits you it's a good chance it will kill you," Pat hissed.

"Oh, right, we should make _sure_ it doesn't hit us then," Sean squeaked.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry's mind worked furiously. He had counted seven Death Eaters and he realized that if he wanted to survive he would have to take out at least three to four of them in his first assault. Also he would have to be the aggressor. He wouldn't have a chance defending himself against them. They would be sure to use powerful dark curses and the Unforgivables.

Stunners and Disarming Curses were out of the question. Once hit they had to stay down or he would be strumming on a harp before the hour was up.

He pushed a tiny silver button on his watch and felt the disillusioning charm working on him. When he was completely invisible he quickly got up and moved away from the car.

The Death Eaters had nearly reached the car and were looking around carefully for any sign of him.

"I thought Gryffindors were brave, Potter," one of them sneered. "But yet you are hiding like a mouse. Perhaps we need to persuade you a bit more. Flint, Higgs, get his friends."

Two of the Death Eaters advanced and peeked on the other side of the car.

"They aren't here," Flint called out.

"Aren't there? Ofcourse they're there you fools. Where would they go?" said the leader of the group as he hurried to the other side of the car.

He was looking around bewildered wondering what could have happened. Then his eyes widened. "Potter, it seems like you have been busy since we last met."

As the words left his mouth a blue jet of light streamed towards one of the Death eaters standing on the other side of the car. It caught him unaware and he fell down screaming in agony. His entire right arm and shoulder was shattered.

Another jet of light, this time sickly green, headed towards the Death Eaters and again one of their number was caught by it. As the spell hit him it formed a liquid that drenched him and began to eat into his robes and skin. He fell down screaming, clawing at his body in agony.

"Watch out you fools, he is under the Disillusionment spell," the lead Death Eater roared.

The remaining number immediately became more aware and they started spraying a white powder all around them as Moody had done.

Harry tried to dodge the powder but there was too much of it and he was caught by some of it. He sent out a powerful _Reducto_ curse at one of the Death Eaters. The Death Eater put up a shield but the spell blasted the shield apart and hit him anyway. But a lot of the power had been negated by the shield. Nevertheless, he was hit pretty hard and he flew back and crashed ten feet away, a bloody mess. He was out of the fight.

Harry knew that it was still four trained Death eaters against him and he had little to no chance. He would have to get out of here soon. By now his friends should have got away.

He dove desperately as four jets of light headed his way and they just missed him by a hairsbreadth.

He kept rolling and sent back a Bludgeoning Curse at them. It was blocked easily by the Death Eater and he sent a nasty looking curse back at Harry.

The next few minutes it was all Harry could do to stay alive. He had got injured though. One of the Death Eaters had sent a Combusting hex at him and even though it hadn't hit him it had burst nearby and he had been hit by a lot of residue and his left side had been set aflame. He quickly took care of the fire but not before he got burned pretty badly.

He was getting ready to create a diversion and Apparate out of there when there was a loud pop and Harry saw Bill Weasley appear nearby.

Before Bill could even get a look at his surroundings four jets of light rushed towards him. One missed him, and he managed to avoid the second. However he was hit by the other two and he went down screaming in pain. His left leg and wand arm both had been shattered and he lay on the ground, unable to move.

Before Harry could do anything The Death Eaters had rushed towards Bill and had him surrounded.

"Throw your wand down and walk over slowly or else the Weasley Boy dies," one of the Death Eaters hissed.

Harry looked at Bill in panic.

Even though Bill was in a great deal of pain he managed to croak out. "Harry, you apparate the hell out now. If you even think of surrendering to these bastards I will kick your arse thoroughly."

'_Crucio.'_

As the spell hit Bill he started screaming in agony. As he thrashed around he screamed even louder as his shattered appendages scraped the ground.

"All right, you Bastards, I'll give up. Don't touch him," Harry yelled furiously.

"No, Harry, you can't do this," Bill yelled hoarsely. "I won't let you do this." He made a heroic effort to get to his feet only to utter another scream and fall back down as the pain overwhelmed him.

"Throw your wand down like a good boy, Potter," the lead Death Eater said softly. He took his white mask off to smirk at him as Harry silently complied. Harry's hate filled eyes met those of Rodolphus Lestrange.

"Good, my master will be pleased. He will finally get his hands on the boy who has been such an irritating thorn to him. I daresay Bella will be pleased to see you too. She has many _plans_ for you. She was punished severely because of you and your friends."

"Yeah… bunch of idiots you guys were. Big bad Death Eaters couldn't get the better of a few fifth year Hogwarts students," Harry sneered.

'_Crucio.'_

Harry screamed as the pain hit him. It was all over and he was overwhelmed by it. Every pore of his body felt inflamed by the pain. His blood felt like it was on fire, his bones felt like someone was crushing them slowly with a hammer and he felt like millions of knives were stabbing his body. And this was just _part_ of the feeling.

"You must learn to hold your tongue, Potter. If you don't you will soon find yourself subjected to a great deal of pain," Rodolphus Lestrange hissed angrily.

"But that's only a taste of what he is going to get, brother," Rabastan Lestrange said from beside him. "He has a lot to pay for. Many will be only too happy to have a chance to even the scores with him."

'_Crucio.'_

Harry started screaming as the pain hit him again. His throat felt as if it was going to burst, so loud were his screams. He thrashed around helplessly on the ground praying for it to end.

"That's enough, Rabastan. Our Master will be most displeased if he loses his mind before he has a chance to talk to him," Rodolphus said lifting his brother's wand up and breaking the curse.

**OoOoOoO**

Jack rang the doorbell to Number 4 frantically. Just as he was about to try to break open the door, it opened.

"Who's the idiot who's ringing the bell?" Petunia Dursley snarled. "If it's a salesman you are going…"

She was not able to finish her sentence as Jack roughly pushed her aside and ran up the steps.

"Who's that? Who are you?" Petunia Dursley screamed, when she was unable to see who had pushed her aside. "Vernon! Come quickly…"

Jack reached the top of the stairs and looked at the different doors wondering which one was Harry's. He spotted a door with numerous locks and a cat flap attached to it and realized that it must be the one.

He quickly opened the door and went in. He looked around and saw nobody. 'What was he supposed to do now? Pat had said to call for Dobby. But where was he?'

He quickly bent down to peer under the bed and opened the closet to see if Dobby could be in there. Where the hell was he? Wait… Pat had said to _call_ for him…

"Er… Dobby… Dobby…"Jack yelled loudly, feeling like a prize fool. He looked around and didn't find anybody. He wondered if he had heard Pat right. Or maybe this was the wrong room. Yes, that was probably it.

He was about to go when a small creature appeared before him with a crack.

"Who are you? And what is you wanting with Dobby?"

Jacks eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he took in the House-Elf's appearance. 'Did Sean slip something into my coke?' he wondered in shock.

He shook himself mentally and tried to remember the message. "Harry told me to tell you to go to Dumpledort and tell him that Death Eaters have attacked him at the park."

Dobby's eyes went wide and he disappeared with a loud crack.

Jack sank down on the bed and put his face in his hands. 'Nobody would ever believe him if he told them about _this_.'

**OoOoOoO**

Harry was lying weakly on the ground. He knew it was all over. Dumbledore would never be able to get here soon enough. Once he got to wherever Voldemort was he was as good as dead. He was glad that at least his friends got away. Thinking of friends he was reminded of Ron, Hermione and Ginny. What would happen to them if he died? They wouldn't be safe from Voldemort for long. He shuddered at the thought of them falling into the Dark Lord's hands.

He sighed and couldn't help thinking that he might have got away had Bill not been there. The Death Eaters were unaware that he could apparate and had not put down any anti-apparation wards. But he knew that Bill had come to _his_ rescue. He couldn't fault him for trying to save him.

And now he too was captured. All due to his fault.

"Come on, Potter, time to go," Rodolphus Lestrange smirked, grabbing hold of Harry's collar and rummaging around for a Portkey.

"You've got me. Let him go," Harry said weakly, pointing towards Bill.

"You are in no position to make demands, Potter," Rodolphus sneered. "Besides, I'm sure Lucius will be only too pleased to get some revenge on a Weasley."

Suddenly his hold on Harry's shoulder broke off and he was sent crashing to the ground as someone tackled him from behind.

Higgs and Flint too, were tackled by unseen assailants who were attacking them furiously.

The three Death Eaters were in all sorts of trouble as they were quickly taken care of with deadly efficiency.

Harry saw the confusion and scrambled to reach his wand. Before he had moved more than a couple of steps a strong hand reached around his neck grabbing him in a headlock and a wand was pressed to his temple.

"Stop it, all of you, or your friend dies," Rabastan Lestrange said coldly.

Pat, Sean and Alan immediately stepped away.

"Don't listen to him, he can't harm me," Harry yelled.

"Shut up, Potter," Rabastan hissed angrily.

'_Crucio.'_

Harry began to scream and jerk, but Rabastan had a firm grip on him and held him up, not allowing him the luxury to fall down to the ground and thrash around in his agony.

Rodolphus, Higgs and Flint had got up quickly and within a few minutes Pat, Sean and Alan were held at wand point by them.

"Very good, Potter. It couldn't have gone any better even if we had tried. It will be very enjoyable to torture your filthy Muggle friends. And the girl… such a beauty… No doubt she will be a great source of _entertainment_ for us," Rodolphus said maliciously.

Pat shivered in distaste as he ran a hand down her body and tried to pull away only to be pulled back violently by Rodolphus by her hair.

**OoOoOoO**

Albus Dumbledore was busy going through a few reports from the Order when a frantic House-Elf appeared in his office.

A second later Dobby was clutching his legs tightly and screaming. "Harry Potter is in danger. Death Eaters are attacking him in the park near his house. You must save Harry Potter."

Dumbledore immediately jumped up and seconds later he was standing near Fawkes who was hovering near his head.

"Dobby, go to Auror Headquarters and send them there quickly. Go now."

Then grabbing Fawkes' tail Dumbledore disappeared in a flash of fire followed by a loud crack as Dobby disappeared to Auror Headquarters.

**OoOoOoO**

The four teenagers and Bill were shoved roughly together in a circle and Rodolphus ordered Rabastan, Higgs, and Flint to go get the fallen Death Eaters over to them so they could be taken along with the Portkey while he stood guard over the prisoners.

He suddenly heard a roar of fire and he swirled around. Before he could even lift his wand a jet of light had hit him with tremendous force and he was sent flying back.

Dumbledore strode forward angrily, his magic crackling around him like lightening.

He turned around to see three jets of green light rushing towards him. With a flick of his wand a nearby tree uprooted itself and quicker then the eye could see jumped in the way of the three killing curses. The tree exploded into tiny pieces and most of them flew at Dumbledore.

Before they could reach him he had flicked his wand again and they stopped in midair before rushing back at the three Death Eaters and hitting them with tremendous force. They were swept off their feet and battered mercilessly by the missiles.

The Death Eaters looked up to hear multiple pops coming from all around as the Aurors arrived and immediately surrounded them.

Rodolphus looked up at Dumbledore with a fearful expression on his face. He shoved his hand in his pocket, and grabbing the Portkey, quickly activated it and disappeared, leaving the others behind.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry was sitting gingerly on his bed at Number 4 and listening with one ear to Pat explaining to Sean, Jack and Alan all about magic. They were listening to her in disbelief.

If they hadn't seen the display with their own eyes then they would have never believed her.

"So… you're a hero… to the Magical world?" Jack asked him in amazement.

Harry looked up tiredly. "Not really. It was all mostly luck. I assure you I did no heroic things."

"Harry, there's a line between modesty and plain lying, and you are way over the lying part of the line," Tonks said with a proud smile as she ruffled his hair gently.

Bill had been taken to St Mungo's to be healed after the Aurors arrived.

After Bill had been taken away Harry had taken Dumbledore aside and requested that the old mage make sure that his friends were protected from Death Eaters. Dumbledore was off taking care of that. He had left behind Tonks who was there to escort Harry to Headquarters after he had finished talking with his friends. Madam Pomfrey had been notified and she was already on her way to Headquarters to wait for Harry.

"Actually, he is a hero for the non-magical world, too," Pat said with a small smile. "Lord Voldemort hates non-magical people and when he was at the peak of his power he used to make regular attacks on Muggles. All that stopped when Harry managed to defeat him."

Harry glared at Pat who just grinned at him.

"Muggle? What's a muggle?" Sean asked curiously.

"Non magical people are called Muggles in the wizarding world," Harry explained.

"So I'm a Muggle?" Sean said slowly. "Bit rude of you guys, calling us something like that."

Harry smirked. "It wasn't me that coined the phrase."

He suddenly noticed Dobby hurrying around packing his trunk and called to him. "Dobby, will you come here for a second?"

Dobby immediately ran over. "Is Harry Potter wanting anything?"

"Yes, Dobby, I want to thank you for your help. If you hadn't got Dumbledore there in time we would have surely died."

Dobby blushed and the red tinge looked really out of place on his green skin. "Harry Potter doesn't need to be thanking Dobby."

"Yes, he does," Harry said firmly. "Now there was one thing I wanted to ask of you..."

Dobby looked up at Harry curiously wondering what the great Harry Potter wanted to ask him.

"Will you come work for me, Dobby?" Harry asked with a smile.

Dobby's ears perked up and his eyes shone with the brightness of a star. He yelped and jumped on Harry's legs hugging them fiercely. "Yes, Harry Potter, yes. Dobby will be happy to work for Harry Potter. Never has Dobby been so honoured in his life."

Harry gently extricated his legs from Dobby's grip and put his hands on the tiny creature's shoulders. "It is me who is honoured. Now about your salary… will twenty galleons and Sundays off do for you?"

Dobby looked at Harry in horror. "Dobby could never take payment from Harry Potter. It would be the greatest shame Dobby could bring upon himself."

"All right then," Harry said sadly. "I guess you can't work for me in that case."

Dobby's ears drooped.

"Those who work for me must get paid. And since you will be working for me I expect you to be well dressed. You will need the money to buy clothes and socks for yourself," Harry said sternly.

Dobby looked as if he was being sent to the gallows. "All right, Harry Potter, if that is what you wishes then Dobby will accept. But Dobby has a favour to ask of Harry Potter, sir."

"Another thing… you call me 'sir' and you will be fired on the spot. And what is the favour?"

"Well, Dobby is wondering whether Harry Potter would allow Winky to come work for him too," the House elf asked shuffling his feet nervously.

"All right, Dobby, if she is willing, offer her the same terms," Harry said with a grin. He was wondering whether there was something going on between Dobby and Winky but decided it was none of his business.

"Oh, no, sir. She will never accept payment," Dobby said in horror.

"Dobby, tell her the same thing I told you. And please also tell her that it is more for my sake than hers. If Hermione ever found out that I have an unpaid House Elf in my service I wouldn't live past the night."

Dobby nodded and again leapt on Harry's legs, hugging him fiercely. "Harry Potter is the greatest wizard in the whole world."

Then he let go and resumed packing Harry's things into his trunk.

Tonks and Harry's friends had watched all of this with a great deal of amusement. The boys were just laughing at Dobby's antics and Harry's embarrassment, but Pat and Tonks were very touched to see the relationship between Harry and Dobby.

"Er… sorry about that… he tends to be a bit emotional at times," Harry said awkwardly.

All he got as an answer were wide grins.

"Hey, guys… I want to thank you…"

"Shut it, Harry," Pat said warningly. "Don't you dare thank us. And don't think we have forgotten your self sacrificing antics. You told us you were going to get out of there."

"Well, I was," Harry mumbled. "And wait a minute… you guys are one to talk. You were supposed to go right here. Why the hell did you stick around?"

"Well, it was good that we were there mate. You were going to be toast if we hadn't arrived in time," Sean said somberly.

"Yeah," Harry mumbled. "Look, guys… I'm really sorry I had to go and drag you all into this mess. I should have known better."

"Harry… I speak for all of us when I say that not one of us regrets meeting you, or _any_ of this," Alan said softly.

"Yeah… I mean how many people can say that they are mates with the 'greatest wizard in the world,'" Jack crowed.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I suppose I should tell him to stop saying that as well."

"That is one thing I doubt even _you_ will be able to get him to stop saying, pup," Tonks said with a grin.

Harry sighed, conceding the point. "Hey, guys, Pat will tell you all about magic, whatever you want to know. Professor Dumbledore is off talking to your parents and arranging protections for all of you. I'll arrange for you guys to come stay with me in a couple of days, we'll talk then. Right now I really need to see a Healer."

"Ok, Harry."

"Take care, mate."

Harry nodded to Tonks and grabbed the Portkey she handed him and activating it, disappeared to Headquarters.

**OoOoOoO**


	14. A Stormy Order Meeting

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (12)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** If you truly believe that I own Harry Potter and that I'm making money out of this, just imagine in what other ways I can con you. (Rubs hands in glee)

**This Chapter is dedicated to my friend Sally (Mugglewitch)**

**Thank you Tricia (Mugglemomma) for taking on the challenge of being my beta.**

**Sharon thank you yet again for the wonderful job you are doing as my britpicker.**

**OoOoOoO**

**Chapter 12 – A Stormy Order Meeting.**

**OoOoOoO**

Harry arrived at No. 12 Grimmauld Place, landing rather awkwardly. He stood swaying on the spot, his weak legs barely supporting him. His entire body was aching with the after-effects of the Cruciatus curse and his left side was a mess of burnt skin.

He looked around and saw that he was in the hall. It was looking much cleaner than the last time, but the dull and dreary atmosphere still pervaded the house. Harry shut his eyes tightly. Every inch of the house reminded him of Sirius and he struggled to block out the memories of his Godfather that jumped out at him from every corner.

He suddenly noticed voices coming from the kitchen and guessed that was where everybody were. He slowly made his way over, being careful to take slow steps in order not to antagonize his aching muscles. His face cracked into a small smile as heard the voices a bit clearer.

"Oh… I hope he's fine. I wonder what's keeping him?" Hermione said frantically.

"Don't worry, Hermione, he'll be here soon," Ginny soothed, but she too sounded worried.

"I swear, sometimes I think I've lost ten years of my life worrying about that boy. Trouble is his middle name," Hermione sighed.

"Actually, it's James," Harry said quietly from the door.

"Harry!" Hermione shrieked, flinging herself on him and hugging him tightly.

Harry was shocked with the speed at which she hurled herself at him and was quite unable to stop her. When she hugged him, her arms rubbed painfully against his burnt skin. On top of that, his aching body protested against the tight squeezing it was receiving from her hug.

Harry's screamed instinctively, his cry of pain echoing throughout the house.

Hermione let go of him immediately. "Oh, Harry! What's the matter?"

"I… I…" Harry wheezed in pain, pointing at his left side.

Hermione bent to look at him and she gasped. "Oh… I'm so sorry, Harry," she said in a horrified whisper, tears welling in her eyes.

"Don't… don't worry about it," Harry gasped weakly.

"Mr. Potter, you finally manage to show up," Madam Pomfrey said, hurrying into the kitchen. Harry's scream had alerted her to his arrival.

By now the portrait of Sirius' mother had woken up and she was screeching bloody murder.

"SCUM, BLOOD TRAITORS, MUDBLOODS, YOU DARE BRING YOUR FILTHY PRESENCE INTO THE HOUSE OF MY ANCESTORS!"

Remus came bounding down the stairs and struggled to pull the curtains around her closed. Sirius' mother's voice screamed on.

"_YOU_ AGAIN! A WEREWOLF IN MY HOUSE…"

As Remus was struggling with the portrait, Madam Pomfrey was looking at Harry's wounds in dismay.

"Goodness, Potter!" she exclaimed. "How can one person get into so much trouble?"

"It's not like I went looking for the Death Eaters so that they could torture me," Harry said wryly.

Madam Pomfrey snorted. "You and trouble have a very mysterious relationship, Potter. If you don't go looking for it then it comes looking for you."

Harry conceded the point and kept his mouth shut.

"Can you take off your shirt, Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked looking up from examining his burns.

"I don't know," Harry said doubtfully. "I think a bit of it is stuck to my skin…"

"Hmm… we'll have to cut it off then." She muttered a charm and a pair of scissor blades appeared at the end of her wand. She quickly cut the t-shirt away from Harry's body until it fell away except for a bit which was stuck to Harry's left side and was held there by blood, skin and a lot of dirt.

Ginny and Hermione, who had been watching Harry all the while, winced when his wounds were finally unveiled. The entire area on his left side from his waist till his shoulder and all over his arm was a mess. Large chunks of skin were burnt almost black and some of it had been rubbed away, leaving the flesh raw. Tiny pieces of stone were embedded into the skin and a layer of mud mixed with blood was covering all the wounds making it hard to see the extent of the injury.

"OK, I'm going to cast a cleaning charm to get out all the dirt and clean the wounds, Potter. This might hurt a bit," Madam Pomfrey warned.

Harry nodded, indicating that he was ready.

Madam Pomfrey waved her wand and Harry felt a funny feeling on his inflamed skin. At first, it felt like someone was blowing gently on it. Then he felt the first twinges of pain as the wounds began to be cleaned and all the dirt and debris vanished from it, starting the bleeding anew. Harry sunk his teeth into his cheek and waited for the feeling to pass, all the while trying valiantly not to scream.

He felt Madam Pomfrey moving her wand over the wounds that were bleeding, and they closed up immediately.

Ginny closed her eyes, unable to watch anymore. She couldn't bear to see Harry in so much pain. Why did it _always_ have to happen to him?

Harry lifted his head when he heard somebody else enter the room. "Hello, Moony."

Remus didn't hear Harry as he was too busy looking at Harry's exposed wounds. Guilt was playing heavily on his face as he realized that they had failed to protect Harry once again.

Harry turned to Hermione. "Where's everybody else?"

"Well, Mr. Weasley is still at work and I think he'll head over to St Mungo's after that. Fred and George are at their shop. They should be arriving soon. As for Mrs. Weasley, she is with Bill at St. Mungo's," Hermione said slowly.

Harry nodded then winced as Madam Pomfrey began to apply an orange coloured lotion to his burns.

"Where's Ron?" Harry asked, looking up and trying to ignore the painful feeling of Madam Pomfrey's hands applying the lotion on his wounds.

Hermione and Ginny shot each other wary looks. "He's gone with Mum to visit Bill," Ginny said carefully.

"Oh, all right," Harry nodded. "Didn't you want to go?" he asked Ginny.

Ginny nodded. "I did, but Mum said that he will most probably be back home by tomorrow and the Healers wouldn't allow too many visitors anyway."

Madam Pomfrey finished applying the lotion, reached for her wand, and gave it a complicated twirl. Bandages flew out immediately and began wrapping themselves all over Harry's left side.

She then quickly handed Harry a couple of vials of potion. "Drink up, Potter."

Harry took the vials and gulped them down one after the other. His face screwed up in disgust at the vile taste of the potions.

"Do I want to know what I just drank?" Harry asked.

"A post-Cruciatus potion, a blood replenishing potion and a pain reliving potion," Madam Pomfrey said distractedly as she glanced at Harry once again to see if he had injured himself anywhere else.

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Harry said gratefully.

"You can thank me better by keeping out of trouble, Potter. It would be a pleasure not to see you in the hospital wing this year," Madam Pomfrey said sternly.

Harry grinned at the nurse that had put him together so many times that he had lost count. "I'll try. But no promises."

Madam Pomfrey glared at him. "Now, I want you to go straight to bed, young man. Your body needs time to recover."

Harry nodded and called for Dobby.

Dobby appeared immediately with a loud crack.

"Is Harry Potter wanting anything?"

"Yes, Dobby, can you have one of the bedrooms ready for me?"

"Dobby and Winky has already prepared Harry Potter's room. Would Harry Potter like to see it?" Dobby asked.

From a corner of his eye Harry noticed Hermione pursing up her lips in anger and glaring at him.

"Hermione, I don't have the strength to argue about house elves' rights today. You can yell at me tomorrow, all right?" Harry said tiredly.

Hermione's face immediately softened and she looked apologetic.

"Why aren't you bunking with Ron as usual, Harry?" Ginny asked curiously.

Harry looked at her, choosing his words carefully. "I think it would be best if I had my own room."

Staying with Ron would create the unnecessary problem of having Ron wake up every night due to his nightmares. He didn't think he could stand it if his friends found out about them. Hermione would ask him endless questions about them and search every book in known existence, looking for something to help him. He didn't want to go through the pitying looks and the endless and pointless discussions, especially since they couldn't help him with the problem. Nobody could do that. They were his own demons and he alone would have to fight against them.

Ginny nodded and looked at Hermione. Both shared worried glances.

"All right, then, I think I'll go up to bed. Good night, everyone," Harry said, cracking a small forced smile.

"I'll walk you up, Harry," Remus said quietly, as he caught Harry's elbow and helped him stand.

Harry nodded and they slowly exited the kitchen and made their way up to Harry's bedroom.

On the way up Remus stole several glances at Harry to try and gauge his frame of mind. He knew that Harry had been hit with the Cruciatus curse several times, and after an experience like that nobody should be left on their own to brood.

But before he could even try and say anything to Harry they had reached his bedroom.

"Goodnight, Moony," Harry said softly before he entered the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Remus sighed as the door closed. Getting through to Harry was going to be harder than he thought.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry was pleasantly surprised to see what Dobby and Winky had done to the bedroom. The wooden flooring had been given a thorough cleaning and polishing and looked almost brand new. The walls had been given a fresh coating of light blue paint, adding to the brightness of the room. Harry also noticed that Dobby had transferred his four poster bed and his armchairs and glass topped table over from Privet Drive. His books were neatly put on shelves that stood in a corner of the room. All in all, it made for a lovely transformation.

"Dobby, Winky," Harry called.

The two house elves appeared immediately. Harry noticed Winky was looking a lot better than the last time. Her dress was mended and she looked neat and clean.

"Is Harry Potter liking the room?" Dobby asked eagerly.

Harry smiled. "It's brilliant, Dobby. Thank you very much, both of you."

Dobby and Winky both blushed at the praise. "Master is not needing to thank us. We is only doing our job," Winky said bashfully.

"I do need to thank you," Harry said firmly. "And didn't Dobby tell you something about not calling me master? You are to call me by my name."

Harry looked over to Dobby, who was suddenly looking very uncomfortable. Harry suspected that Dobby had told her and she had flatly refused to do so.

"Winky could never call master by his name. Only a wicked house elf would do that," Winky said, glaring at Dobby, who looked like he would rather not be here at the moment.

"Winky, are you refusing to do as I ask of you?" Harry asked slowly.

Winky's eyes widened as she realized the trap she had fallen into. If she called Harry by his name it would mean she was being disrespectful. But if she refused to obey a direct command of his it was so much more unforgivable.

"But...but…" she stuttered.

"But nothing," Harry said sternly. "Listen to me, Winky. You are not my servant and you are not my slave. You are my employee. That is the way it is going to be."

He saw Winky's face twist in dismay and bent down on his knees, despite the pain it caused him to do so. He put his hands on Winky's shoulders.

"Winky, I have my flaws just like everybody. But I live by my own codes and beliefs. I do not believe that any creature was born solely to serve another. If I were to have you as my slave then I would never be able to respect myself anymore. I do not need a slave. I need someone who is loyal to me because they love me and care for me, not because they are forced to do so."

Winky looked at Harry, tears welling in her large eyes. "I understands…H-H-Harry Potter," she said slowly, trying out the name.

Harry smiled and pulled her into a gentle hug. "Good, Winky. Now was that so bad?"

Winky looked at him fearfully and then nodded her head vigorously, causing Harry to explode in laughter. "Don't worry. It will get easier with time," he said with a grin.

Harry dismissed the two house elves and they disappeared with dual pops.

He got up slowly, took a pair of blue silk pyjamas from the dresser, and slowly pulled them on.

Harry's injuries and lack of sleep over the past two weeks finally took their toll on him, and he fell asleep as soon as his head touched his pillow. He thankfully didn't have any nightmares, but his sleep was still very uneasy.

Dobby kept his usual nightly vigil and tried to ease Harry's discomfort by gently sponging his sweating forehead. He was happy that Harry Potter was finally getting some sleep.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry woke up refreshed the next morning and just a bit surprised that he had managed to stay asleep so long. He saw that Dobby had drawn the blinds so that he would not be disturbed by the sunlight streaming through his window and thanked the thoughtful little house elf silently.

He got up and opened the blinds to let the sunlight in and saw that it was late morning. The sun was already high up in the sky. He briefly wondered whether Madam Pomfrey has slipped him a sleeping potion to make sure he slept and shrugged. It did not matter one way or the other.

Harry flexed his muscles slowly and winced when he realized that they had not fully recovered from yesterday's ordeal. He felt really stiff and lethargic and realized that this was probably because he had missed his entire routine of jogging and Aikido classes and his body was unused to so much inactivity.

He prodded his bandages and realized that he wouldn't be able to do any strenuous activities for a few days at least.

He suddenly felt a rumbling in his stomach and realized that he hadn't had any food since yesterday. He quickly dressed and headed down, eager to get some breakfast and chat with Ron. He realized that he had been disappointed not to see Ron around when he arrived yesterday, but immediately felt guilty about thinking such thoughts. It had been his fault that Bill was injured and it was common sense that Ron had wanted to be with his brother.

He headed towards the kitchen, and upon reaching it, was surprised to find the door closed. He raised his hand to knock on the door when Hermione's voice stopped him.

"Oh, don't do that, Harry. A meeting is going on in there."

Harry turned around to see Hermione standing on the stairs, Ron and Ginny standing behind her.

"Hello, Ron, is Bill all right?"

Ron looked at Harry strangely before gruffly replying. "Yeah, he's fine now. He's in there," he said nodding to the closed kitchen door.

"Oh, that's great to hear," Harry said brightly.

He suddenly turned to the closed door and looked deep in thought about something. Then nodding his head decisively he raised his hand and knocked sharply.

Hermione opened her mouth to ask him what he thought he was doing, but closed it when she heard the sound of the door opening.

Unfortunately for Harry, the door was opened by none other than Snape, who looked at him as if he had just crawled out of a troll's nose. "Get lost, Potter, there's a meeting going on." Saying that he slammed the door shut on his face.

Dumbledore heard Snape's words from his seat at the head of the table and sighed in frustration.

Harry stared at the closed door in shock before a molten anger began to rise within him. He drew his wand and tapped it on the door.

'_Alohomora.'_

"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione said shrilly. "There's an _Order _meeting going on inside. You'll get into _so_ much trouble." Ron was looking at Harry curiously, but he kept strangely silent.

Harry ignored her and once more tried using the _Alohomora_ charm to open the door.

"It won't work, Harry. They have most probably used some advanced locking charms to seal the door," Ginny said quietly.

Harry had reached a similar conclusion and he grit his teeth in frustration. "Dobby."

Dobby appeared with a loud crack. "Is Harry Potter ready for breakfast? Dobby can serve him in the bedroom."

"No, Dobby. I don't want breakfast at the moment. Can you open this door for me?"

Dobby looked at the door and then at Harry in a horror. "But, sir, there is the meeting…"

"Open the door, Dobby," Harry commanded.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione almost yelled. "You can't just barge into a meeting like that."

"Watch me, Hermione," Harry said tersely.

Dobby looked at Harry and then at the door and reluctantly snapped his fingers. Immediately the door flew open and Harry walked in, followed quickly by Ron, Hermione and Ginny.

The Order members saw the door crash open and Harry striding in and were stunned silent for a moment before all hell broke loose.

"Potter, a meeting is going on," McGonagall said irritably.

"Didn't anybody charm the door? How did he get in?" Moody growled. He was looking highly upset that the door had not been charmed shut and that anybody could have walked in or listened in on the meeting.

"Harry, dear, please go out," Molly Weasley said gently, when she noticed that Harry was not budging. She turned to Ron, Hermione and Ginny. "What are you lot thinking? Barging in like this. Didn't you three know that a meeting was going on?"

"Potter, you imbecile, I told you a meeting is going on. Is that hard for your addled brain to understand?" The last comment, of course, was from Snape.

Harry ignored them all and turned to Dumbledore.

"Is there anything you wanted, Harry?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"I have decided that it is high time I joined the Order."

His statement was like a bomb that exploded in the room.

"Harry, like I told you last year, the Order is only for people who are of age," Remus began.

"Yes, dear, you are far too young to be involved in all this mess. You are only sixteen. You should not be thinking about these things. Leave it to the adults," Molly said firmly.

Harry ignored everybody and turned to Dumbledore. "I'm not leaving until I've had my say, Headmaster."

Dumbledore nodded. "Very well, Harry."

Harry was about to speak when Molly interrupted. "Wait. Ron, Ginny, Hermione, please go up to your rooms. You are too young to be involved in Order business."

Ron exploded. "We are just as old as Harry. Why is he allowed to stay and not us?"

Ginny backed Ron up to the hilt, an outraged expression on her face.

"I don't want to hear one more word from you," Molly shouted. "Go up to your rooms now."

"That's not fair!" Ron yelled. "Why is he allowed to join the Order and not us?"

"Ron, no one said anything about him joining the Order," Arthur Weasley said calmly. "Now please do as your mother says. She is right. You are far too young to be involved in the Order."

Ron threw an angry look at Harry and stormed out of the room, followed by Ginny. Hermione looked at Harry curiously for a second before following them out.

Dumbledore waved his wand and the door shut again and locked itself. "What is it you wanted to talk to us about, Harry?" he asked gently.

Harry looked at Dumbledore. "As I said I think it is about time I joined the Order." Molly opened her mouth to protest, but Harry silenced her by raising his hand. He looked at her for a moment and then softly asked, "You want me to live like a normal sixteen year old, right?"

Molly looked back at him and spoke earnestly: "Yes, Harry, I do. I see you growing up too fast. No child should be forced to do that. Your childhood will only come once."

Harry smiled, but everyone noticed that the smile never reached his eyes. "All right, maybe you are right about that. But before I leave, can I please ask all of you a question?"

"Of course you can, Harry," Remus said hesitantly. "What do you want to ask?"

"Well, you said that I should live the life of a _normal_ sixteen year old. Does that mean I can do whatever a sixteen year old does? I mean… can I go to the cinema? Or maybe go for a vacation this Christmas? I've never been anywhere outside the country. It would be nice to look around a bit. Can I do that?" Harry asked in mock excitement.

"Harry, you know it is dangerous for you to go out in public," Arthur said softly. He had a fair idea where Harry was going with this and it worried him.

"Hmm… I guess that leaves out the music concerts and Quidditch matches too," Harry said wryly. "So if I am understanding you correctly, I cannot do most of the things a sixteen year old usually does, is that about right?"

"What would you have us do, Potter?" McGonagall said exasperatedly.

"Oh, nothing, I just wanted to ask you _exactly_ how I should live and behave like a teenager. It isn't very clear to me. But maybe it's because I'm not as clever as you people," Harry said softly. "To me it just seems very hypocritical that you want me to be a kid when you know that there is no way I can behave like or live the life of a sixteen year old."

"Harry, we know that the situation is not fair for you. Believe me, we understand how you feel. But don't you see that you cannot possibly join the fight right now? You are not ready," Remus said.

"Moony, you know next to nothing about me so don't presume to think you can understand me. I don't like being patronized. As for whether I am ready or not, someone forgot to tell Voldemort that," Harry said coldly.

Most of the Order flinched at the use of the Dark Lord's name. Remus, on the other hand, looked like he had been whipped at hearing Harry's words.

"Oh, will you look at that. The great, wise warriors of the light. The_ so called_ members of the Order cannot even say the name of the person they are fighting. Boy, I feel safe that you guys are responsible for my well being," Harry sneered.

"You have surpassed even your father in your arrogance, Potter," Snape said scathingly. "Just because you foolishly utter the Dark Lord's name doesn't make you capable of fighting him. He will toy with you before killing you off like the inconsequential pest that you are."

"Enough, Severus," Dumbledore said quietly. "Why do you suddenly want to join the Order, Harry? I told you that I will keep you informed of what is going on."

Harry shook his head. "I thought that would be enough, but its not. I have to join now. We can't waste any more time. Time is one thing we don't have on our side. I just can't sit on the sidelines anymore."

"Harry… you know you cannot go on any missions. And you know why," Dumbledore said gently.

The Order members looked at each other curiously wondering what the Headmaster meant by his words.

Harry laughed bitterly "Oh yes, I know. I can't very well forget _that_, can I? As to your question, I don't intend to go on any missions. But I want to know everything. And to be very frank, after yesterday's attack, I cannot put my life in the hands of the Order anymore. I need to be able to make my own decisions."

"This is the limit, Headmaster. I told you not to give him so much freedom over the years. I told you not to pamper him. Look at the arrogant idiot. He stands there and insults and questions the very people who have kept him alive until now," Snape yelled furiously.

Suddenly Harry lost it. "You keep talking about this alleged pampering, Snape. Just what do you know about my life?" he asked in a dangerous tone.

"What's the matter, Potter? The Muggle relatives _not _bow down and kiss your feet like the royalty you seem to think you are?" Snape snarled.

Harry looked at him thoughtfully for a second. "Why don't _you_ have a look and tell me, Snape? You are always going on about how pampered and spoilt I have been. Maybe you should see just to make sure whether you were right or not."

He snapped his fingers and Dobby appeared. "Dobby, would you kindly bring me my Pensieve?"

Dobby nodded and disappeared, reappearing a second later with Harry's Pensieve.

"Potter, I have neither the time nor the patience to see you wallowing in self pity. You are wasting our time. Some of us have work to do. So if you have finished your nonsense, kindly get out."

"Oh, this won't take too much time," Harry said carelessly, putting memories rapidly into the Pensieve. "Or could it be that you are just afraid to find out that you are wrong about me?"

Harry placed the Pensieve in front of Snape and eyed him challengingly.

Snape glared at him and slowly the glare changed into a smirk. "Very well, Potter. I will take a look if you insist." The expression on the greasy Potion Master's face made it clear that he intended to use whatever was stored inside the Pensieve to taunt Harry later.

Harry saw this, but kept silent. He had challenged Snape and would go through with it. But before Snape could enter the Pensieve, Dumbledore stopped him. "Harry, I too would like permission to look at the memories, if you are willing. It is my request of you."

Harry closed his eyes. Could he stand Dumbledore going through his memories? Looking at his most private moments… moments where he had been at his lowest.

When he had offered the Pensieve to Snape, he had fully expected him to refuse the offer. But when Snape had agreed to see them and made the comment about him being treated like royalty, a part of him wanted Snape to see the memories. He wanted the greasy potions master to be shocked at what he saw. To see how wrong he was. He knew that it wouldn't make a difference in the end. Snape would still hate him. But he would never be able to make comments about him being pampered anymore.

Dumbledore was another matter altogether. Snape would have either kept quiet about the memories or crack some cruel comment about them. Dumbledore would likely react very differently. He would probably pity him. And while he could stand the cruel jibes of Snape, he didn't think he could stand Dumbledore's pity.

But he also knew that he couldn't deny Dumbledore. Not when he had requested permission like he had.

"Very well, Headmaster. Since it was you that placed me there perhaps you too should see whether you made the correct decision or not," Harry said finally.

Molly and Arthur had been looking at each other during this and holding a silent conversation. "Harry, we would like to see it too, if you don't mind," Arthur said awkwardly. "Ever since Fred and George told us about the bars on your window, we have always wondered..."

"I think all of us would, Potter," McGonagall said. "I was there the night Albus left you at the Dursley's doorstep. Later, I always wondered whether we made the right decision, and always wondered if I would have changed the Headmasters mind if I had been a bit more insistent."

Harry was by now highly regretting bringing out the Pensieve to show Snape. Damn it! Why did he always have to be so impulsive? "Very well," he said with a bitter sigh. "I don't like the idea of all of you sifting through my memories, but if you feel you must, go ahead. It hardly matters whether two or twenty see it."

Harry sank down on a chair and watched as Professor Dumbledore moved the Pensieve into the center of the table before muttering a spell that caused a blue glow to surround it.

One by one, all the members dipped their wands into the bowl and fell into Harry Potter's childhood.

**OoOoOoO**

The Order members found themselves crowded into a small kitchen. They were far too many to actually fit in, but the spell Dumbledore had cast was meant to take care of that. Any place they now visited inside the Pensieve would magically change to allow them to fit in, even if the area was as small as a shoe box.

A four year old Harry was standing before them. His tiny, thin body was dressed in an overly large pair of yellow shorts that kept sliding down his legs and a torn green t-shirt which was also too large for his body. His head was covered with tufts of messy black hair and his large green eyes stood out on his pale face. He reached back to pull his shorts back up giving the Order a peek at his tushy.

"He's so adorable!" Tonks whispered softly. The other Order members, except for Snape, heartily agreed with her. Snape just sneered.

Harry was standing in front of a thin, sour looking woman and was holding out a small paper card to her. He had made it especially for her in class today and spent hours drawing and colouring it.

She irritatedly took it from him and glanced at it, seeing the crudely drawn family scene with distaste. She suddenly felt Harry clinging to her knees and looking up at her.

She pushed him away from her angrily and with a cruel bunching up of her fist, crumpled up the card and tossed it into the dustbin.

Harry looked up at her from the floor where he had fallen down when she had pushed him. His eyes were blurred with tears of confusion.

"Didn't you like it? I made it for you in class today," he said, getting up slowly.

"I don't have time to look at your stupid drawings," Petunia Dursley said harshly as she went back to her cooking, not even sparing her nephew a glance.

"But I made it because I love you…" Harry said sadly. "Don't you love me?"

Petunia Dursley turned to him, her face contorted in rage.

"Love? _Love you?_ Who would love a freak like you? You don't deserve to be loved. Now get lost and stop bothering me."

Harry looked up at her, a scared and heartbroken expression on his face. Her words tore into him. He was a freak!

_Nobody would ever love him._

The scene changed and the Order members were transported to another memory. They found themselves back in the same kitchen.

"That horrible woman!" Mrs. Weasley said with tears in her eyes. "How could anyone do that to a child?"

She was silenced by her husband as the memory started.

Harry was standing on the kitchen stove frying bacon and eggs. His face barely cleared the stovetop and he had to stand on tiptoe to see what he was doing. The pan was far too heavy for him and he was struggling to make sure the eggs did not get burnt.

The Dursleys were sitting down on the kitchen table, which was piled high with brightly wrapped presents. A fat, pink faced boy with blond hair was sitting before the presents and smiling happily as both his parents fussed over him.

Suddenly there was a loud crash as the pan fell down onto the floor. Harry was squealing in pain and clutching his forearm, nursing the burn he had received.

Petunia Dursley got up from the table, and angrily walked over to Harry, eyeing him with the deepest loathing. "You stupid boy! Can't you do anything right?"

Dudley immediately started crying as he spotted an opportunity to get Harry in trouble.

"I'm sorry, but the pan was too heavy," Harry said trying to hold back his tears of pain. "It's not my fault."

"Don't you dare talk back to your Aunt, you ungrateful whelp," Vernon Dursley said as he hurried over and grabbed Harry by the scruff of his neck. "I think you need a lesson in manners."

He took quick strides towards the living room, dragging a protesting Harry behind him. Pausing beneath the stairs, he opened a small cupboard and roughly shoved Harry inside and locked the door. "I think two days in there without food will teach you to talk back to your superiors, boy," Vernon Dursley said triumphantly.

Before the shocked Order could react the memory was changing again.

Vernon Dursley was standing before a cowering Harry holding a broken vase in his hands.

"You brat! Do you know how much this vase cost me?"

Harry looked up at his uncle pleadingly. "But I didn't break it. Dudley broke…"

The rest of his words were cut off as Vernon Dursleys large hand struck him on his face, throwing him off his feet with the force of the blow.

"You disgusting hoodlum. Now you have started lying too, is it? Not only do you break the vase but you dare blame it on your cousin?" Vernon Dursleys frame shook with righteous anger.

Harry knew better than to protest any more. That day he learned a valuable lesson, that of never daring to blame Dudley.

The Order watched in shock as Vernon Dursley locked Harry into the cupboard again. "Let's see if a week in there without food keeps you from breaking things and telling lies, shall we, boy?"

Dumbledore's face had lost all its colour and he had a look of deep sadness on his face. Molly, on the other hand, was red with fury. Tears of rage were coursing down her face as she watched her surrogate son being treated worse than an animal by the monstrous Dursleys. She couldn't understand how _anybody_ could treat a child like that

The memory changed again.

Harry covered his eyes feebly to protect them against the glare of the sunlight filtering into his cupboard. The sudden bright light after a week of darkness hurt his eyes.

"Get up, boy, there are lots of chores to do. You have lazed around the entire week. It's time you did some work for change. Come and have your breakfast quickly or you'll have to go without," Petunia Dursley said coldly.

Harry was too weak from lack of nourishment to even think of replying to her. All he could think of was food. He had been given just enough food and water that he didn't die of starvation. Otherwise, he had not had a proper meal all week.

As he struggled to get to his feet his Aunt scrunched up her nose. "You smell like a sewage plant," she said in disgust. "I'm not having you sit at my table. You can have your breakfast in the kitchen."

She quickly took a plate and put an egg and a few thin strips of bacon on it. Grabbing a slice of toast, she put it on the plate and thrust it at Harry.

Harry quickly took the plate and going into a corner of the kitchen sat down on the floor and began to wolf down his food. He was so hungry that he hardly chewed his food, he just swallowed it down.

This was a very dangerous thing to do, as his stomach had been mostly empty for a week, and when he wolfed down his food so fast his stomach rebelled. Before he knew it, Harry was clutching his stomach and vomiting violently all over his Aunt's gleaming kitchen floor.

Harry's entire body trembled with the effort it took him to up his breakfast and he fell over sideways, nearly unconscious.

"You animal!" Petunia Dursley screamed, throwing a glass of water on him. "Look what you did to my kitchen. I just waxed it yesterday."

"S-s-sorry," Harry gasped weakly.

"Sorry? Sorry isn't going to get my kitchen clean. Go get the mop and clean up this mess."

Harry made a heroic effort to get to his feet and went to get the mop to clean the mess up.

The Order watched as he slowly mopped up the kitchen, leaning on the mop because his legs just wouldn't support him. They watched as his Aunt made him do all the chores in his condition. By the end of the day, Harry was running a fever and he just managed to get into his cupboard before he passed out from exhaustion and weakness.

The scene changed.

The horrified Order members found themselves in the garden of Privet Drive. Suddenly, a small black haired boy streaked past them screaming with fear. Right behind him, a large and fierce looking Bulldog gave chase. Harry just managed to hurl himself up a tree in time to escape the snarling dog that had been right on his heels. He quickly climbed higher up and sat down on one of the lower branches looking at the dog in terror.

A large and heavy jowled woman came rushing out of the house and stopped angrily by the tree. "What did you do to him, boy?" the woman bellowed up at Harry.

"I didn't do anything," Harry protested.

"Don't give me that, boy. Ripper is a lamb. He wouldn't attack a fly without provocation. You must have done something to upset him."

"But I didn't," Harry pleaded. "Look, just take him away. He'll bite me if I come down."

"Serves you right if he would," the woman thundered. "In fact I _will_ leave him here."

She turned to Ripper "Bite this filthy rat if he comes down, boy."

Ripper barked loudly, wagged his tail, and sat down below the tree.

Harry saw his Aunt Marge pat Ripper on the head and mutter "Good boy," before she made her way back to the house.

"Wait… _please_, I didn't do anything," Harry called out in a miserable voice, but she didn't stop or even turn around to spare Harry a glance.

Harry sat on the branch, hoping that the dog would tire of him and go off somewhere, but it was not to be. One time when he did go away, Dudley brought him right back just as Harry was climbing down the tree, and he nearly got bitten by him.

For Dudley, it was a huge sport to see his freakish cousin trapped on the tree and unable to come down. But slowly he got bored of watching Harry sit on the tree and decided to liven things up a bit. Surely it would be _more_ fun if Harry fell off the tree and Ripper _bit_ him.

So he picked up pebbles and sticks and chucked them at Harry, laughing when Harry pleaded for him to stop. It was all Harry could do to avoid falling of the tree while dealing with the missiles.

The scene changed.

Harry was standing in the kitchen pleading with his Aunt.

"Please, Aunt Petunia. Can't you tell me anything about my parents? What happened to them? What were they like?"

"Go away, boy. I don't have time to waste on you," Petunia Dursley said brusquely, ignoring her nephew and going about her work.

"It will only take a few minutes," Harry pleaded. "I don't know anything about them. Please, I beg you."

Petunia Dursley looked at him angrily and sighed. "Very well, if you do all your chores properly and are a very good boy then maybe I will tell you."

Harry nodded eagerly and, picking up the list that his aunt had given him, he went off to get them done.

He was on his knees busy pruning the rose bushes when Dudley came up from behind him and jerked his legs, sending Harry sprawling into the thorny bush.

Harry angrily picked himself up and glared at his fat cousin. "Go away, Dudley. Don't you have anything better to do than to annoy me?"

"I know what you were talking about with Mum," Dudley said with a smirk.

"Oh, good, added eavesdropping to your list of nasty habits too, have you?" Harry said, going back to pruning the bushes.

Dudley continued to smirk at him. "Ooh, the freak wants to know about his parents. Think you can get those chores done today, runt?"

Harry looked at him carefully. "Do you have a point to all your idiotic blabbering?"

Dudley shrugged. "Oh nothing, I was just wondering what would happen if Mum came to inspect the garden tonight and found her rose bushes damaged or the windows dirty."

"Are you threatening me?" Harry said angrily.

Dudley just grinned at him. "No, I was just wondering what would happen if something like that _did_ take place."

"What do you want?" Harry asked quietly.

"Well, if you do as I say all day today then maybe I'll let you off easy and won't do anything to ruin this for you," Dudley said casually.

Harry wanted to kill him at the moment, wanted to stab him with the pruning shears. Any punishment would be worth it to wipe that hateful smirk off his face. But he knew that it would ruin everything for him. And he wanted to know too badly.

"All right. What do you want me to do, Dudley?"

"First, no calling me Dudley. All of today you will call me 'sir.' It's best you learnt how to address your superiors."

"What?" Harry snorted. "If you think I'm going to call you that you can think again."

"Well, all right, if that's the way you want it…"

Harry clenched his jaw furiously. "Ok, fine. I'll call you sir. Any thing else you want?"

Dudley grinned. "Well, it's really hot today. Get me a glass of lemonade. Oh, and while you are at it, get me a sandwich too."

Harry threw the pruning shears down and stiffly walked into the house to get Dudley his drink and sandwich.

The day went by and Harry went on with his chores and did whatever Dudley wanted him to do. Mostly all the tasks were just to humiliate him, and Harry barely kept himself from murdering Dudley. Whenever he felt like telling Dudley to go to hell he remembered Aunt Petunia's promise and did whatever he was asked to do quietly. It wouldn't be long now. It would soon be over. And then he would finally find out about his parents.

The day ended and Harry watched eagerly as Aunt Petunia inspected all the work he had done. She tied to find fault with his work but Harry had spent such a lot of time making sure that everything was perfect that there wasn't much she could say.

That all ended when she went outside to check her rose bushes. What she saw sent her into paroxysms of anger. Three of her precious rose bushes were lying mutilated on the ground.

Harry looked at the bushes in shock as he saw his Aunt turn to screech at him. From a corner of his eye he saw Dudley grin at him from the door and at that moment Harry lost it.

He rushed at him and started pummeling him with all the strength in his skinny body. He punched him wherever he could reach him. He didn't care that Dudley was hitting him back. All he cared about was causing Dudley pain, because he knew that Aunt Petunia would _never_ tell him now.

He didn't hear Aunt Petunia yell for his uncle. He didn't hear his uncle come down thundering. And he never saw the heavy fist descend on his face knocking him senseless.

He woke up hours later locked inside his cupboard. He got a week inside for the incident.

And that was the day he started hating the Dursleys with a passion. He no longer cared about pleasing him or if they loved him. He just hated them with every fiber of his being.

The scene changed.

The Order were standing in Harry's small cupboard. Again, it was Dumbledore's modifications that enabled them to get into such a small space. The walls of the cupboard simply expanded around them, allowing them all to fit in.

Harry was kneeling down on the floor, his eyes were closed and his hands were clasped together.

"Dear God, I know that I must have done something really bad and that's why you took my parents away. And that's why nobody will ever love me."

Harry paused, thinking carefully about his next words.

"I know that I deserve whatever is happening to me but I heard in church today that you forgive people when they are sorry for what they did. I am really, really sorry. Please forgive me and take me to be with my parents. I promise to be really quiet and not to bother anyone."

He paused and looked around the cupboard. It almost seemed as if he was searching for God in the tiny cramped place.

"I hope you will forgive me and take me to be with you soon. Thank you, God. Amen." Tears rolled down his tiny cheeks as he finished his prayer.

The scene changed.

Harry was standing cowering in a corner as his Uncle advanced on him menacingly.

The reason for him doing this was because Ickle Duddykins had slipped on some ice while trying to kick Harry and fallen down hard and broken his wrist.

"I'm going to make you regret the day you were born, boy," Vernon Dursley said angrily. "You have gone too far this time. How dare you attack your cousin?"

"B-b-but he fell down while he was trying to k-kick me," Harry stammered. "I d-d-didn't do anything to him."

A dangerous glint came into Vernon Dursleys eyes. "You filthy liar. Dudley told me that you tripped him."

Harry shrank further into the wall.

"I have tried to be patient with you. I have tried to make you see the error of your ways. I have punished you and yet nothing seems to work. Not only are you a dangerous lunatic, but you lie all the time, steal food from the fridge, talk back to your Aunt and do it with the most innocent look on your face. I see I will have to discipline you this time."

He caught Harry by the scruff of his neck and threw him face first onto a chair. His hands went to his belt and he removed it slowly.

Harry was never so terrified in his life. He wondered what was going to happen to him. He found out soon as Vernon's heavy belt came crashing down on his back.

Harry screamed in pain.

Again and again the belt came down on his back, each blow getting harder and harder. Harry's throat felt raw with screaming and the pain was unbearable. His t-shirt stuck to his back and felt sticky. He suspected that his back was bleeding from the wounds.

Before he could do anything about it he was thrown into his cupboard. He was not allowed out for a week.

The scene changed.

The Order watched in shock as memory after memory of Harry's childhood flashed before them, each as terrible as the one before it. By the time it was over all of them were in shock. By the time it was over not one of them were the same people. All of them, even Snape, were struck speechless with horror.

Dumbledore had aged _years_ in the short time he had spent in the Pensieve. His shoulders were drooping with fatigue and a great burden of guilt. As long as he lived he would never be able to forgive himself.

Molly's eyes were red from all the crying she had done. Her heart bled for her black haired son. How could he have survived all of this? Survived to become the person he was?

Remus Lupin died nearly a hundred times with guilt when he saw what Harry had gone through. How could he ever face Harry again? How could he ever face James and Lily? He promised himself that he would make it right. Somehow he would do it. Whatever the price was, he would pay it. But as long as he was alive Harry would never be harmed again.

The Order had finally gotten a glimpse of what made Harry Potter tick and what went into making him what he was today.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry was sitting and eating breakfast when the Order came out of the Pensieve.

He saw the expressions on most of the Order member's faces and raised his hand to stop them from speaking.

"Before you say anything I want to make one thing very clear. I never want to talk about what you saw in there. I didn't ask for you to see what you saw. _You_ wanted to see it. I hope your curiosity is sated. One more thing, I neither _want_ nor _need_ your pity, so keep it to yourself."

He turned to Snape. "Don't think I showed you any of that because I want your sympathy. I just wanted to show it to you to shut your mouth once and for all about how pampered I was. I know that you still hate me and that's perfectly fine with me. I really don't give a fig about what you think of me. But remember one thing. Whether you like me or not, you _will_ treat me with respect or I promise you I will make you regret it."

Snape glared at Harry but kept his mouth shut. Even he knew that it would be very dangerous to push Harry right now.

Harry turned to Dumbledore. "You know, when Hagrid first came for me and I found out about what I was, I couldn't help but feel that it was a dream come true. Maybe there was a chance for me to finally live life the way I wanted to. But that was never really an option, was it?" Harry said bitterly.

"From the beginning I had to deal with all your bullshit. I never asked for any of it – the fame, the money, the publicity - I never _wanted_ any of it. But you know what the biggest joke is? At the end of it all I have to listen to people like him," he said, pointing at Snape, "Tell me what an arrogant idiot I am. At the end of it all I have to sit and watch the rest of you treat me like a kid and make decisions about my life without even caring how I feel about them."

Dumbledore listened to Harry in silence and forced himself to meet Harry's eyes. As Harry talked a little more of the twinkle in his eye died.

"You know, I always wanted to ask you a few questions, Headmaster. For instance, why you allow Snape here, free reign to terrorize the students. Do you think you could answer me now? Or is it another of those secrets that you feel like keeping?" Harry asked sarcastically.

Dumbledore sighed. "Harry, Professor Snape spies for us at great risk to his own life. He has to keep up a certain front. One mistake on his part could mean certain death for him."

Harry nodded. "Could I dare ask what gave you the right to make this decision?"

McGonagall spluttered. "Potter, I know you are angry but that hardly gives you the right to talk to Professor Dumbledore like that."

Harry turned and faced her. "I have the right because I am a student studying in the school in which he is the Headmaster. As the Headmaster, he has a responsibility to his students to make sure that they have a good education and are kept safe."

Harry glared at Dumbledore. "Tell me what right you had to choose one man's life over so many hundreds of students and their ambitions. Tell me what right you had to allow him to poison generations of Slytherins against the other houses. I know that you are the leader of the resistance against Voldemort, Headmaster, but you have a moral responsibility to keep your duties as Headmaster of Hogwarts separate from your duties as leader of the Order. The parents trust you to keep their children safe and for you to teach them what's right from wrong. Don't you think you have abused their trust in you?"

Dumbledore kept quiet.

"And the Philosophers Stone… You knew Voldemort was after it, didn't you? Yet you allowed it to be hidden there. You must have known that Voldemort would have tried to come after it. Tell me how you can justify endangering the lives of the students under your care to do that. Yes, Hogwarts was the safest place for it, and yes, Voldemort would have been invincible had he got the stone. But you have forgotten that Hogwarts is a school, Headmaster. It isn't a fortress to wage war against Voldemort."

"Harry, I realize that I am at fault," Dumbledore said quietly. "But at that time there wasn't any other place we had to hide it."

"Are you really trying to tell me that the risk that a few students would die was worth the price to have the stone hidden at Hogwarts?" Harry said softly.

"Potter, you have to understand that sometimes it is not always possible to do what's right. If Voldemort was to arise again the students would be in far greater danger than if he were to try and steal the stone. Life cannot be viewed in black and white. Sometimes we don't have a choice," McGonagall said gently.

"Really? If you wanted to prevent Voldemort from getting the stone then you should have destroyed it. That's what you did in the end, wasn't it? And don't tell me there wasn't a choice. There are always choices. Say you found it easy not to make the hard choices. Potions is a very important subject for getting into many careers. Because of how he teaches, barely a handful of students make it into NEWT Potions. You have let that happen. You put the life of one man over the welfare of generations of your students. Now _you_ think whether it was worth it."

"Harry, the life of a man, any one man, is infinitely precious. It is the most valuable thing there is," Dumbledore said slowly.

"Headmaster," Harry sighed. "I never said his life wasn't valuable. But I was under the impression that we were fighting in a war. When anybody joins the Order they know the risks fully. If a person can't handle the risks, then maybe they have no business joining the Order."

Snape had kept silent up till now but he finally exploded. "So lectures the Saint Potter. Tell me Potter, does this right and wrong ever penetrate your thick skull when you are breaking the school rules right and left? When you are stealing from teachers and making Polyjuice potion to illegally enter the Slytherin dungeons? Quite easy to point fingers at others, isn't it?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, I break school rules. I admit I have made my share of mistakes. Are you man enough to admit to yours? To be very frank I would love to stop breaking the school rules. Can you just make sure that Basilisks, three-headed dogs, Acromantulas and Dementors are not roaming around, though? That would _really_ help a lot."

Snape sneered. "I don't have time to hear this nonsense. Nobody asked you to do anything about any of those things, Potter. If you had just obeyed the rules like you were asked to, you would never have been in danger."

"Really? And yet I remember Quirrel hexing my broom and my name being slipped into the Goblet of Fire without me doing _anything_. I was obeying all of you last summer, wasn't I? And yet two Dementors were sent after me. Maybe there was some rule of yours I didn't follow then, _Professor_?" Harry said sarcastically.

Snape glared at Harry, hate burning in his eyes.

"Oh, forget it. It's pointless to discuss all of it when I know that nothing will come of it. Let's just get back to me joining the Order," Harry said disgustedly. "I will no longer tolerate any of you controlling my life. I will no longer tolerate you keeping secrets about me, _from me_."

Harry ran his hands through his hair and walked over to the window. "I too have feelings and wants. I'm not some pawn to be moved around according to your whims. I want to have the chance to be happy, to dream and have the ability to make those dreams true. But that is never going to happen until Voldemort is gone. _So let me fight_. Let me fight Voldemort so that I can finally have the chance to live my life the way I want after he is gone. Is that so much to ask? Is that so unreasonable?"

"No, Harry, that is not unreasonable. I think you have earned the right to join the Order," Dumbledore said sadly. No one questioned Dumbledore's decision, even Molly Weasley.

"Harry, you _do_ know that with you joining the Order, Ron, Hermione and Ginny will ask to do so too, right?" Bill said quietly.

Harry shook his head. "No, Ron and Hermione and Ginny won't be joining the Order. I don't want them involved. Not yet. I don't want them to have to deal with this when they don't have to. I want them to have a normal life, as normal as possible. It isn't possible to keep them out of this war, but at least they can have a year or two more before they get involved. I don't want them facing Voldemort or seeing what I have seen. I don't want them to ever know what a Cruciatus curse feels like. I want them to be able to sleep peacefully at night, to play Quidditch and worry about their NEWT's. There will be time enough to fight the war later on for them."

"They aren't going to like that, Harry," Tonks warned.

"No, I don't suppose they will. But that is the way it has to be. I have joined the Order because Voldemort is actively after me. They don't have that problem. It would be better if it is kept that way," Harry said grimly.

"Very well, let's get on with the meeting, shall we?" Dumbledore said wearily. "Arthur, what is the status of the bill to allow the Aurors to use lethal force against the Death Eaters?"

Arthur Weasley opened his mouth to answer him when Snape got up suddenly, clutching his arm in pain.

"I must go Headmaster. He is calling me."

Dumbledore nodded. "Take care, Severus."

Harry was looking at Snape's departing back and something was nudging his memory. Something about the night that Voldemort was resurrected. Suddenly it hit him. It was so obvious! What _fools_ they had been.

He got out of the chair and ran after Snape, yelling furiously for him to stop.

**OoOoOoO**


	15. Bitter Truths Revealed

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (13)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** If you truly believe that I own Harry Potter and that I'm making money out of this, just imagine in what other ways I can con you. (Rubs hands in glee)

**This chapter is dedicated to SarahLuna. Happy birthday, sweetie. **

**Thank you Tricia. You have helped me reach my full potential as a fanfic writer.**

**Sharon thank you yet again for the wonderful job you are doing as my britpicker.**

**OoOoOoO**

**Chapter 13 – Bitter Truths Revealed**

**OoOoOoO**

Harry sprinted through the door Snape had just opened, screaming loudly, "Wait! Don't go… He knows… _He knows_."

He looked around desperately for the Potions Master and spotted him just ahead. Snape had stopped and was looking back at him in great annoyance. He ran up to him and grabbed his arm.

"Wait, don't go," Harry said quickly.

"Potter, I don't have time for your nonsense. The Dark Lord is calling me and I have to leave immediately," Snape snarled, jerking his hand away.

The portrait of Sirius' mum had woken up at hearing Harry's screams and started screaming fit to bring the roof down. "MUDBLOODS! BLOOD TRAITORS! VILE, PUTRID HALF BREEDS!"

Harry grabbed his arm again. "Don't be an idiot. He knows about your loyalty to Dumbledore."

Dumbledore, Moody and Kingsley had rushed out after Harry and were just in time to hear Harry's latest comment.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Dumbledore asked quickly.

"I mean that Voldemort knows that Professor Snape is spying for you," Harry said tersely.

"Don't talk nonsense, Potter. If he knew I would be dead by now," Snape scoffed.

Mr. Weasley and Remus had come out as well and were trying to shut the curtains on the screaming Mrs. Black's portrait. "YOU! YOU ARE STILL HERE? I WILL NOT HAVE WEREWOLVES IN MY HOUSE! AND YOU… FILTHY LITTLE BLOOD TRAITOR! YOU SHALL DIE MOST SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY!"

Mr. Weasley and Remus had nearly succeeded in shutting the curtains when Ron, Hermione and Ginny came bounding down, curious to find out the cause of all the screaming.

"What's going on, Dad?" Ginny asked, looking around wide-eyed.

"Nothing. You three go back upstairs. Everything is under control," Mr. Weasley said over the loud yells of the portrait.

"I thought you said that Harry wasn't going to be allowed to join the Order," Ron said suspiciously. "What's he doing down here attending the meeting then?"

"Ron, we'll discuss that later. For now, all three of you just go up."

"That's not fair, Dad! You can't do that. If Harry is being allowed into the Order then it is only fair that we be allowed to join," Ron yelled.

Mr. Weasley sighed tiredly and in his frustration let go of the curtain. This was a big mistake. As soon as he left the curtains, they were again thrown open and the screaming continued unabated. Mr. Weasley gave Remus an apologetic look and hurried off to deal with Ron.

"KREACHER! WHERE ARE YOU? THROW THESE TRAITORS OUT AT ONCE! THEY ARE NOT FIT TO STAND IN THE HOUSE OF BLACK!"

Harry was quickly losing his temper at Snape's attitude and the loud banshee-like screaming of Mrs. Black. Ron's loud arguments with Mr. Weasley only served to increase his rapidly growing headache.

"He _isn't_ dead because Voldemort is using him to spy on the Order and on you, Headmaster," Harry said slowly, lowering his voice so that it did not carry over to his friends.

"Harry, we have been through this. Professor Snape is not a traitor," Dumbledore said patiently.

"I never said he was," Harry snapped. "Voldemort is getting the information through some other means. Most probably Leglimency."

"KREACHER! WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM, YOU FILTHY EXCUSES TO THE NAME OF WIZARDS?"

Remus struggled mightily with the curtains and nearly had them closed, but the screaming was affecting him due to his oversensitive werewolf hearing, and the vile woman was nearly screaming right into his ear.

"That's not possible, Potter. I am not a dunce at Occlumency like you. I have years of experience blocking out the Dark Lord," Snape said arrogantly.

"Oh fine!" Harry snarled. "If that's the way you want to be, go ahead. Get yourself killed and see if I care."

"Harry, why do you think Tom knows about Professor Snape being a spy?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"YOU WAIT. THE DARK LORD WON'T SPARE ANY OF YOU. EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU WILL DIE."

At this screech, Harry finally lost it and, going up to the screaming portrait, pushed Remus aside. "Shut up, you old hag. Your son died fighting Voldemort. Don't you care at all?" he shouted.

At Harry's words, Mrs. Black stopped screaming and turned her maddened gaze on Harry, her yellowed eyes glaring at him with disgust. "That traitor was no son of mine. I just hope he died most painfully for betraying the Black Family name."

Upon hearing these words, Harry stiffened. A slow, fierce anger began to boil within him starting from the pit of his stomach. It quickly spread until his whole body was trembling with rage. A green flame lit up in his eyes.

He raised his wand with shaking fingers and pointing it at the portrait pushed all of his hurt, all of his rage and all of his frustration into a tight ball and releasing it all in one burst screamed, "_REDUCTO!" _

The force of the spell was so tremendous that the entire house shook from the impact. Bits of plaster and sawdust rained from the roof and the walls. The wall where the portrait had hung was blown into smithereens and the curtains and draperies on it were set aflame, causing a large cloud of smoke and dust to rise making it impossible to see the damage the spell had truly caused.

Remus, Kingsley and Moody quickly shot streams of water from their wands to put out the fire. The Order had all come running out after hearing the explosion and they and Ron, Hermione and Ginny looked stunned at the sight before them.

When the smoke finally cleared, they saw that a whole portion of the wall had been blown to pieces. There was no sign of the portrait except for a few pieces of wood lying on the floor and a few charred pieces of canvas. The whole wall was looking like it was in danger of crumbling any second.

Harry gazed at the destroyed wall blankly, and he looked to be struggling to keep his emotions under control.

He was still taking in the damage his spell had caused when Dobby and Winky appeared on the scene with two soft cracks. They looked at the wall in horror for a minute before quickly starting to prop up the wall to prevent its total collapse.

The Order was still staring at the damage and nobody knew what to say. It was then that Mrs. Weasley's eyes fell on Ron, Ginny and Hermione. "What are you three doing down? Go back up to your rooms. The meeting isn't over yet," she said sternly.

"But, Mum…" Ron began.

"Don't 'but Mum' me, young man. Just do as you are told to do," Mrs. Weasley said sharply.

Ron was about to open his mouth to argue, but seeing the look in his mother's eyes, he shut his mouth and sullenly stomped up the stairs, muttering all the way. Hermione and Ginny followed right behind him, both too shocked by the scene they had seen downstairs to protest much.

"Let's go back in. We have much to discuss," Dumbledore said gravely.

"Headmaster, I must protest. If I don't leave now it will be too late. The Dark Lord does not tolerate any kind of tardiness," Snape said frustratedly, clutching his arm in pain. "He is calling me again. I _have_ _to_ leave."

"No, Severus. If what Harry says is true then we cannot afford to let you go to him today," Dumbledore said shaking his head.

The Order filed back into the kitchen and Snape followed reluctantly after giving Harry a poisonous glare.

After everybody had sat down and the door was charmed shut again Dumbledore turned to Harry. "Please explain what you mean by Voldemort knowing Professor Snape is a traitor."

Harry sighed. "Isn't it obvious to you yet? The Philosophers Stone… Professor Snape tried to threaten Quirrel and discourage him from stealing the stone. When Voldemort came back to power after the Triwizard Tournament he mentioned two traitors. I never paid attention to it. But its obvious now, isn't it?"

Dumbledore's face blanched. "Severus? Is this true? Did you directly threaten Quirrel?"

"Headmaster, I fail to understand how this makes any difference. Quirrel died down there. There was no way that the Dark Lord could have known," Snape said irritably.

"It matters," Harry said with a bitter smile, "because Voldemort was residing at the back of Quirrel's head. He heard every word you said to him."

Snape looked at Harry sharply. "The back of his head?"

"Yes, why do you think he wore the damn turban?" Harry said shaking his head in dismay. "You really mean to tell me that you didn't know?"

From the expression on Snape's face, it was quite obvious that he didn't know. "Why didn't he kill me immediately?" he muttered, almost to himself. "Why keep me alive all this time?"

"Because he has been getting information from you," Harry said. "That's the only possible reason."

"That's not possible, Potter. Can't you get it through your thick head? I have been building an immunity to Veritaserum for years and I have much experience in blocking out the Dark Lord through Occlumency."

Dumbledore had been silent through all of this thinking deeply. Suddenly a flash of understanding lit up his eyes. "The Cruciatus Curse," he muttered softly. "Of course… it is so simple."

"The Cruciatus Curse? What do you mean, Albus?" Moody growled. Ever since Harry had revealed his suspicions that Snape was being used by Voldemort to spy on the Order, the old grizzled ex-Auror had kept his wand out and trained in the general direction of Snape. His whole demeanor was extremely tense and it was almost as if he was expecting the Dark Lord to come bursting through the door any second. Looking at him, Harry thought that if someone suddenly said _'Boo'_ he would immediately start throwing lethal curses left and right.

Dumbledore was silent for a minute and seemed that he would not answer Moody. Then he softly spoke. "When a person is put under the Cruciatus Curse, the pain is so intense that it is impossible to keep one's mental shields intact. It would be easy in such a situation to invade that person's mind."

"But wouldn't Severus remember being under the Cruciatus Curse, Albus?" McGonagall asked in a horrified tone.

"No, Minerva, not if he was given a Post-Cruciatus potion immediately afterwards and then put under a memory charm," Dumbledore sighed.

Snape's face was growing more and more tense as Dumbledore spoke. The truth was very difficult for him to accept. It was even worse that the person who had stumbled upon the truth had been none other than Harry Potter. He grudgingly admitted that he probably owed his life to the brat. If the truth hadn't come out, he would have certainly died sooner or later, probably in a very horrible and painful manner. This fact was the bitterest pill of all to swallow. He would have rather died than be indebted to a Potter.

"Severus, would you be willing to let me make sure that I am right?" Dumbledore asked gently.

Snape looked up and nodded briefly.

Dumbledore quickly entered Snape's mind and looked for evidence of memory charms being performed on him. A minute later he broke contact and nodded grimly. "It is as I feared."

A tense silence took over the room. The Order realized in horror that they had been played like fools for more than a year. Voldemort had most probably been informed of their every movement and laid his plans accordingly.

"This is terrible, Headmaster," Kingsley said in his deep voice. "Everything has been compromised. When You-Know-Who realizes that Severus won't be coming, he will know the game is up. What's to stop him from going after the members of the Order and picking them off one by one? Is even Headquarters safe anymore?"

"We will have to start anew. It is impossible to know just how much Voldemort now knows," Dumbledore said slowly. "Headquarters is safe for now. As long as I am the Secret Keeper, Voldemort can never breach it. But everything else will need to be changed. Kingsley, you, Alastor and Tonks stay at Auror Headquarters for a few days until we can make other arrangements. Nobody is to go out anywhere alone. Move around in groups of three."

The meeting ended soon after that and Snape immediately left without even giving Harry a second glance. The other Order members followed his lead. Mr. Weasley left for the Ministry along with the rest of the Order, after giving Molly a quick peck on the cheek. Ever since he had become the Head of Law Enforcement his responsibilities had increased tenfold as he was responsible for the entire Auror forces.

Soon the kitchen was empty except for Harry, Mrs. Weasley, Dumbledore and Bill.

Dumbledore turned to Harry. "I must be going now, Harry, but I will come around day after tomorrow at eleven to continue our Occlumency lessons."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said politely.

Dumbledore gave Harry one last glance before he disapparated away with a tiny pop.

Bill grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him to the side. "Harry, the deal is all set, just as you wanted it. The papers are to be signed this afternoon. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"I'm sure."

"Think again, Harry. They are my brothers, but I think you might be making a mistake that you will regret later," Bill warned.

"No, I'm sure. Just get it done."

"Ok, Harry, It's your decision. I'll have the paperwork ready by this evening and you can tell the twins then."

Harry nodded. "Thanks, Bill."

Bill smiled at Harry and, grabbing his briefcase, apparated out to Gringotts.

Finally, it was just Harry and Mrs. Weasley left. "Go on up, dear. I suspect Ron and Hermione are waiting to talk to you. I have to start lunch."

Harry nodded and turned to go. Before he could take a step however Mrs. Weasley grabbed him and pulled him into a gentle hug. Harry, at first, instinctively stiffened up, but he soon relaxed and returned it fiercely.

Finally, Molly let him go and kissed him on the forehead. "Go on then, dear. Tell them that lunch will be ready soon."

Harry nodded and was about to leave when he spotted his Pensieve on the kitchen table. He grabbed it and hurried upstairs, feeling as if he had swallowed a large slab of Honeydukes best.

He quickly went to his room and left the Pensieve on his bedside table, and then hurried off to find Ron and Hermione. He guessed that they were in Ron's room and went off to check. Sure enough, he heard voices coming from behind the closed door.

As Harry opened the door the voices immediately died down.

"Hello, guys," Harry said with a smile. "How was summer so far?"

At the mention of summer, Ron scowled heavily and looked away. Hermione looked at him nervously and put on a small smile.

"Oh, not much happened, Harry. Most of the time we were just cleaning the remaining rooms in the house," she said.

"Oh," Harry said with a frown.

"Forget what we did. It's what you have been up to that interests me," Ginny said brightly.

Harry shrugged. "Actually, it wasn't much. In the mornings I used to have Aikido lessons three times a week and I was studying Taekwondo the other three days. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I usually had Occlumency training with Dumbledore and a few extra lessons with Flitwick and McGonagall. The rest of the days I was at Auror Headquarters learning dueling."

Ron scowled even more heavily at hearing Harry's words.

"Oooh! How was Auror Headquarters, Harry? What did they teach you?" Hermione squealed excitedly.

So Harry sat down and told them how he had learned dueling from Moody and Kingsley and learnt Apparation. By the end of it Ron was positively fuming.

"So how is it going with Dean, Ginny?" Harry asked with a smile.

Ginny was about to open her mouth to tell him that she had broken up with Dean when Mrs. Weasley called up for her. "Ginny, come down here for a bit. I need your help."

"Muuuum!" Ginny wailed in dismay. "Why is it always me? Why can't Ron help?"

"That's enough, Ginevra," came Mrs. Weasley's sharp retort. "Get down here now."

Ginny scowled, and tossing her long red hair over her shoulder in annoyance, walked down in a huff, muttering all the way.

Harry turned to Ron and was taken aback by the deep scowl on his face. "Are you all right, mate?" Harry said hesitantly.

Ron glared at him and looked away.

Harry looked at Hermione questioningly and saw that she didn't meet his eyes. "What's the matter? What are you so upset about?"

"I'm upset," Ron ground out, "Because I have been _such_ a fool. Here I am, stuck at this ruddy house worrying about you all summer and you don't even reply to my letters. We came to stay here for _you_, and you suddenly decide not to show up at all. What's more you don't even have the decency to _tell us_ why. Then we suddenly find out the truth. Harry Potter is out having fun with the Aurors and is getting special lessons at Hogwarts and we are left to rot here all summer."

"Fun! You call staying at the Dursleys _fun_? You think I've been having a grand time all summer?" Harry asked incredulously. "Do you think I actually want to have Dumbledore breaking into my mind again and again and write three foot essays for McGonagall? You think it was fun to have Moody throw lethal curses at me? You think it was _fun_ to stay in a house all summer where they think of me as something lower than a slug? Sorry, but it wasn't really that much fun to me."

Harry took a deep breath. "Listen… about the letters… I'm sorry for that, OK? I know it was wrong of me but I couldn't bring myself to do anything at that point. Finally, I got tired of sitting around in my room all day. I had to do something…anything… or I was about to lose it. I just saw this ad in the paper and I joined up for Aikido lessons. I didn't know when the Order was going to come for me. It wasn't like anybody _told_ me. Once I started attending the lessons, I just didn't want to leave halfway."

"Why weren't we allowed to join you for the training, Harry? Why are you allowed into the Order and not us?" Ron asked angrily.

"Because there no need for you to join. There's no need for you to get trained," Harry said slowly.

"Oh, you think so, do you? Might I remind you that we were with you every step of the way all these years? Might I remind you that we were with you at the Ministry and we fought every bit as hard as you? What makes you so special? What makes you think you can fight and we can't?" Ron yelled.

"Fight? You think I'm training and joining the Order to fight Death Eaters?" Harry asked angrily.

"Well, what's the reason then?" Ron snapped.

"I'm doing it because Voldemort won't stop coming after me until I'm dead. The attacks are just starting and I need to be able to get away if im ambushed. I have joined the Order to be able to be updated on what he is up to, not to go on missions. He's after me, Ron. Don't you get it? You guys are _not_ targets of his yet, and its best to keep it that way."

"Oh, that's absolute dragon dung," Ron yelled furiously. "I'm not a coward, Harry. I'm not afraid to fight, and we beat them at the Ministry. Why can't we do it again?"

"Don't be a fool!" Harry said coldly. "The only reason that we survived that day was pure luck. Don't ever delude yourself thinking otherwise. If they had been using Unforgivables we would _all_ have died. And we are just talking about the Death Eaters. You have never faced _him, _have you? If you had you wouldn't be talking like this now."

Harry saw that Ron's temper hadn't abated at his words.

"Look, Dumbledore has asked me to start the DA again this year. You guys will be learning everything I know. I just thought that there was no need for you guys to spend the entire summer learning to duel," he said trying valiantly to control his temper and salvage the situation.

Hermione finally broke her silence.

"Harry, I understand why you didn't write and why you didn't come to stay here for the summer. But we have always been there with you for everything. That's not going to change. If you get into any trouble we are going to be right in there with you. Don't you think we need to be as prepared as you are, in that case?" she said softly.

"Listen to me…both of you…" Harry said, running his hands through his hair wearily. "As long as we are at Hogwarts and Dumbledore is around, we are safe. This year we _can't_ afford to go looking for trouble."

"So tell me, Harry. Why is he specifically after you?" Ron asked bitingly.

Harry hesitated. He couldn't tell them about the prophecy… it wasn't safe.

Hermione came to his rescue. "Don't be a prat, Ron. It obviously has something to do with that Prophecy. But since it broke, Harry can't very well know the reason, can he?"

Ron looked at Harry and shrugged. "I don't know. It just seems that he is hiding a lot of things all of a sudden."

Harry struggled to keep his face blank. "I'm not hiding anything from you, Ron."

"You aren't? Are you sure?"

Harry hesitated for a brief second. "Yes, I'm sure."

"You liar," Ron spat. "Did you think I'd never find out about it?"

Harry cringed. How had Ron found about the prophecy? Nobody knew except him and Dumbledore…

But Ron's next words made it clear that he wasn't talking about the Prophecy.

"Why did you do it, Harry? Did you think I'd be very happy about it? Did I ever ask for your charity?"

"What are you talking about, Ron?" Harry asked in confusion.

"You know what I'm talking about, Harry," Ron said balling up his fists in anger. "I'm talking about the two million galleons that you gave to Mum and Dad. We don't need it, Harry. We don't _need_ your charity. Keep your money."

Harry opened his mouth to protest but he never got a chance to say anything.

"You can't go and do things like that, Harry," Ron said in a dangerous tone. "People are not for sale. You knew I wouldn't like it. That's why you did it behind my back, didn't you? Tell me, damn you! Why did you do it?"

"Are you quite done yet?" Harry said quietly.

Ron just glared at Harry and didn't answer.

"You want to know my reasons? I'll tell you my reasons. Firstly, it had nothing to do with you. I didn't give the money to _you_. I gave it to your parents. And I didn't give it because I thought you needed charity. I gave it because I have nothing else to give you. It was my way of showing you that I cared for you and your family. I gave the money unconditionally, Ron. I didn't care if you didn't ever see my face after that. I didn't want anything from you for it."

Harry looked at the floor dejectedly.

"You think that I was happy to see you and your family struggling to make ends meet when I have so much gold that I'm never going to use? You think that didn't hurt me to see you going without the things you liked time and time again? I have seen that phase, Ron. Before I came to Hogwarts I never had anything. I know how much it hurts to see everybody around me being able to buy whatever they want and me never being able to buy the simplest of things for myself."

Harry looked up and looked Ron in the eye.

"You want to know another reason, Ron? I gave the money because it is useless to me. It's all just a pile of metal that can't buy me any of the things I really want. It can't bring back my parents, or Sirius, or even Hagrid. It can't buy me a single night's sleep, and it sure as hell can't save me from Voldemort. You want another reason? If I die tomorrow, and it's looking increasingly likely, I have absolutely no one to leave it to. So those are my reasons. I don't want to _buy_ you, as you say, Ron."

Ron started to deflate a bit at Harry's words and his eyes got a bit of an ashamed look in them.

"You guys think its _grand_ being me, don't you? Harry Potter is famous! Harry Potter is rich! _Harry Potter gets special lessons with the Aurors._ Believe me, if I could, I would exchange places with you in a heartbeat. The war is here and I'm in the center of it, whether I like it or not. I wish I could just be normal and not have to join the Order or learn dueling during the summer. I wish I could go watch Quidditch matches and spend time with my family. I don't have that choice. And you know, when you are under a Cruciatus Curse, and minutes from being killed, the fame, money and all that crap doesn't matter. You are going to be involved in the war sooner or later. The time you are being given right now is never going to come back. So forgive me for thinking that there is no need for you guys to go jumping into danger just because _I'm_ neck deep in it."

Harry suddenly felt tears start to form in his eyes, and he turned around and began to walk towards the door.

"Harry, wait, I didn't mean…" Ron called out.

"I never thought that, Harry…" Hermione said in a small voice.

"I want to be alone for a while. I'll talk to you guys later," Harry said over his shoulder before he walked out of the room.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry's heart was heavy as he walked out of Ron's bedroom. He suddenly felt very tired. Tired of the training, of the constant feeling of being cooped up, of the sleepless nights and constant worrying. Tired of the whole damn war! Most of all, he was tired of having all his actions judged by everybody. It seemed that there was no relief for him.

He didn't feel like heading to his room right now. Ron's words had hurt him very deeply. He knew that Ron's pride might come into play at some point, but he had never expected Ron to accuse him of all the things he had. He wandered around aimlessly and suddenly realized that he had unconsciously managed to make his way to Sirius' room.

He closed his eyes to stop the inevitable flow of tears. He would have given anything to have Sirius here at the moment. He needed him. He needed Sirius to tell him that everything would be fine, to cheer him up with his jokes and pranks. He needed someone upon whom he could lean on and be weak for a little while. Someone he could act like a kid with.

But he knew it wouldn't happen. It was an impossible dream.

He slowly opened the door and walked in.

**OoOoOoO**

Ginny walked in to call Harry, Ron and Hermione for dinner only to come in to the sight of a rowing Ron and Hermione.

"Do you always have to be a prat, Ron?" Hermione said angrily. "You know he's been through a lot. Can't you show some sensitivity for once, instead of acting like an overgrown baboon?"

"I am _not_ acting like a baboon! What do you want me to do, Mione? He didn't even tell me anything. Why did he have to be so secretive? What was I supposed to think when I found out?"

"You were never supposed to find out, Ronald Weasley!" Hermione shrieked. "You peeked into Bill's confidential files. Whatever Harry did has _nothing_ to do with you."

"Oh, it has nothing to do with me, does it? It's my family, Hermione. It has _everything_ to do with me."

"Oooh! There's no use even _trying_ to reason with you. You are so mule headed!"

"What's going on? And where is Harry?" Ginny asked, looking around.

"Ron, here, was being his usual insensitive self, and accused Harry of trying to buy him by giving your parents money."

"What money?" Ginny asked in confusion.

"He gave Mum and Dad two million galleons, Ginny. _Two million!_ What else was I to think?" Ron said angrily.

"Well first of all, if Mum and Dad accepted it, then it's none of your business," Ginny said coolly. "And as to what you are to think…try thinking how lucky you are to have a best friend who cares for you so much."

Ron made a disgusted face and turned away.

"Anyway, I came up to call you for lunch. Go on down. I'll go find Harry," Ginny said, ignoring Ron. Upon saying that, she walked out of the room.

As Ginny made her way to Harry's room she sighed in frustration. Ron was such an ass. Couldn't he see why Harry had done it? How could he even accuse Harry of trying to buy him? He was supposed to be Harry's best friend. Did he not know Harry at all by now?

She hesitantly knocked on Harry's bedroom door. "Harry, are you in there?" There was no answer. "Harry, it's time for lunch. If you are in there, please come down."

Again, there was no answer.

Ginny sighed. It was possible that Harry was in and pretending not to be there. She twisted the doorknob, pushed the door open and peeked in. She couldn't see him inside, so she opened the door a little more to have a better look and saw that the room was empty.

Ginny's eyes curiously roamed over Harry's room, taking in everything. Her roving eyes fell on a strange black marble bowl by the bedside table. It had intricate runes carved on its surface in gold. She immediately recognized it as the Pensieve that Professor Dumbledore had given him. From the door, she could catch a glimpse of a silvery substance floating around in it.

Curiosity got the better of her and she went in to have a better look at it, and her suspicions proved correct. The Pensieve was filled to the brim with Harry's memories. Ginny knelt down by the bedside table and bent her head to have a closer look at the swirling mass of memories. She was unbearably tempted to enter the Pensieve to find out what they were.

She somehow managed to control herself by sternly reminding herself that it was a violation of Harry's privacy. She was just of the mind to turn around and go back out to continue to look for him when it happened.

Crookshanks came bounding into the room chasing a quickly flying Doxy. Both the Doxy and Crookshanks were heading straight for Ginny. She didn't notice them immersed as she was in studying the Pensieve.

The Doxy flew over to Ginny and hovered right above her head. The tiny fairy-like insect was moving about as if to taunt the large ginger half-Kneazle. Crookshanks gave an indignant 'meow' and leapt up to catch the annoying creature. He missed and landed right on Ginny's head, sending her face splashing right into the Pensieve.

She only got a moment to figure out what was happening when she found herself leaving the room and falling… falling… into a childhood of horrific proportions.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry entered Sirius' room to find it looking exactly as if it was still being lived in. Clothes were strewn around. Papers and books were scattered around the room. A few large posters of Vintage bikes adorned the walls, and the bed was unmade.

He walked through the room, looking around aimlessly. His eyes fell on a few framed photos on the desk in the corner of the room and walked over to it to have a better look. He recognized one of the photos as being from his parents wedding. Sirius was looking very handsome in a tux and was standing beside James and Lily, cheering them on as they kissed after completing their vows.

Another picture was of the Marauders sitting by the lake at Hogwarts. Harry noticed that Wormtail's picture was missing his head in this one.

His hands were moving about frantically, feeling the place where his head used to be.

His eyes roved over the desk and suddenly he noticed something peeking out from under a sheaf of papers. He curiously pulled the object out.

When he saw what it was, his face paled. It was the _mirror_. The twin of the one Sirius had given him. Tears threatened to overwhelm him, and all of a sudden he was feeling suffocated in the room. He wasn't ready to handle it. _Not yet_.

He quickly made for the door and left the room, closing the door behind him, and then quickly made his way back to his room.

When he arrived he found the door open. He wondered who had gone in. 'It's probably Ron and Hermione,' he thought irritably. He wasn't ready to face them yet. He wanted some more time to himself.

He sighed and chanced a peek into the room. What he saw surprised him, for it wasn't Ron and Hermione, but _Ginny_ inside the room. She was kneeling by the bedside table and her face was inside his Pensieve. For a moment Harry felt a quick flash of anger at having his Pensieve invaded. But it passed when he saw Ginny's body shuddering violently.

He was beside her on two quick steps and jerked her face away from the Pensieve. Ginny became limp and opened her eyes in confusion. She turned around and stared at Harry for a second before leaping up and grabbing him into a tight hug and bursting into tears. Harry was too shocked to do anything but hug her back.

"Oh, Harry! H-h-how could they? The m-m-monsters. You must hate them so much!" Ginny sobbed.

Harry awkwardly soothed her, running his hands down her back. "It's okay, don't cry. It's in the past. It's _all_ in the past. It doesn't matter anymore," he said in what he hoped was a soothing voice.

But she couldn't stop crying. What she had seen inside had jarred her badly. It was even more terrible for her because she loved Harry so much. She couldn't bear to think about what else he had been through.

'The Dursleys will pay. I will make them pay. No one can do that to my Harry and get away with it,' Ginny thought fiercely, an intense anger beginning to grow within her.

"Why didn't you ever say anything, Harry? All these years, why were you silent about it?"

Harry slowly let her go. "What difference would it have made?"

"Of course it makes a difference," Ginny said angrily.

"No, it doesn't. It's in the past. What happened can't be changed, and I don't want to keep remembering it."

Ginny had opened her mouth to argue when Mrs. Weasley's voice came from the stairs. "Ginny, Harry, dear, lunch is ready. Where are the two of you?"

Harry turned to Ginny. "Come on, let's go."

Ginny looked at Harry for a second as if she wanted to protest, but then she wiped her tears and quietly followed Harry out of the door.

**OoOoOoO**


	16. Conversations

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (14)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - To find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** No I don't own Harry Potter. I just write fanfics for fun and make absolutely no money out of it. It all belongs to the great JK Rowling

**This chapter is dedicated to two very special people – Tricia and Charles.**

Thanks go to my Beta - **MuggleMomma (Tricia)**, my proof reader **Melinda (Melindaleo)** and my second beta - **Rachael (rdprice29)** and my britpicker - **Sharon**. You guys rock! Also thanks go to all my readers for being so patient.

**OoOoOoO**

**Chapter 14 – Conversations**

**OoOoOoO**

Lunch was a very silent affair. Ron and Harry were eating quickly and had their eyes fixed solely on their food. Hermione, on the other hand, was giving them anxious looks and pushing food around her plate. She had no appetite left after what had happened upstairs with Harry.

Ginny was too preoccupied with her thoughts to do much talking either. She wondered whether Harry would be upset with her for invading his Pensieve. Would he believe her when she told him it was a mistake?

She had gotten to understand Harry more in the past hour than she had in all the years spent with him, had gotten a brief glimpse into what made him into the person he was. Many of the answers were in that Pensieve. Anger was slowly building up to a dangerous peak within her, and it was all she could do to stop herself from getting up and going after the Dursleys and using some of the more painful curses on them. Along with the anger was a deep sadness that the boy she loved had gone through so much. Her mind was a cauldron of strong emotions.

Molly, too, was silent. She observed the youngsters and made her own conclusions. She guessed that Ron had not taken too well to the idea of Harry being allowed into the Order when he wasn't. She also guessed that Harry had probably not gotten over the shock of what had been revealed in today's meeting yet. She didn't blame him. All of the Order had been shell shocked by it. Even Dumbledore had been taken by surprise for Merlin's sake, and that was as rare as Snape singing Christmas carols.

If Ginny was angry, then Molly's anger was at volcanic peaks. Her mind was filled with the images she had seen in the Pensieve, images where the Dursleys had mistreated Harry so horribly.

Perhaps it was time to call a Weasley family meeting.

She also felt a deep feeling of helplessness. Helplessness that she couldn't help her black-haired son. She hated to sit and watch as he took on burdens that no sixteen-year-old should have to deal with. She was ready to do just about anything to keep him safe and living as a normal teenager, but she knew that nothing short of killing Voldemort would be of any help to Harry.

She sighed, and noticing that Harry's plate was empty, quickly refilled it again, totally ignoring his muttered protests.

After lunch Molly quickly shooed the youngsters out of the kitchen, refusing Ginny and Hermione's help to clean up. She rightly guessed that they would want to spend some time with Harry since they had not seen him all summer.

Harry quickly got up and made his way back to his room. He wanted some time alone to think. The Order meeting, the fight with Ron and finding Ginny inside his Pensieve, all in the space of half a day, was a bit too much for him and he wanted to sort his thoughts out.

But it was not to be.

He was just opening his room door when he felt a hand on his shoulder. His first instinct was to grab the hand of the person and send him sailing over his shoulder with a particularly nasty Aikido throw, but fortunately he resisted this impulse. He turned around to see that the hand belonged to Ron.

Ron's face was red with embarrassment and he was trying very hard to try and meet Harry's eyes.

"Harry… I need… look mate, we need to talk. I said a few things earlier that I didn't mean. I… sorry… _we_ need to sort this out."

The last thing Harry wanted right now was to talk but he realized that coming up to him had probably been very hard for Ron and he didn't have the heart to turn him away. Besides, he too wanted to resolve the argument with Ron as soon as possible. Over the years he had learned the hard way that the more Ron stewed the more upset he got.

The sound of footsteps distracted Harry from his thoughts and he looked up to see Hermione and Ginny joining them.

Harry sighed. "Very well, come on in. I guess we do need to talk."

The four of them filed into the room and the first thing Harry did was to head over to his dresser, pick up his Pensieve, and put it away into his trunk. This action of his was not lost on Ron and Hermione, who exchanged a significant look.

Ron turned to Harry. "Look, I didn't mean many of the things I said…or at least the way I said them. It's just that the whole summer has been really trying on me. You don't know how worried we were, and it didn't help that you hardly told us anything. What's changed, Harry? We used to talk about everything. In all the years we have never kept any secrets between us. Why now?"

"Ron, it's nothing like that," Harry protested. "I am not trying to keep things from you. There are things that I will tell you but there are some secrets that are not mine to tell. I also know that you want to fight and join the Order, but now is not the time for that."

He sighed and walked over to the window, knowing he was lying through his teeth. He was hiding something from them…something very big – the prophecy.

"You know, that night at the Ministry we nearly played right into Voldemort's hands. We'd have died if it wasn't for the Order and Dumbledore. I have been thinking about it since then, actually not thought about too much else, and I realized that we cannot afford to play by his rules anymore. He is just waiting for us to make a mistake right now. If we fight him now we'll all die and he _knows_ this. We need to be totally prepared before we jump into any fight. I plan to teach you most of what I have learned, but I don't want you guys taking unnecessary risks. Joining the Order is an unnecessary risk."

"But that's our choice to make, Harry, not yours," Ginny protested.

"Yes, it is your choice," Harry conceded. "But you know what? Right now you guys are no help to the Order, and that's the simple truth."

"Well, if you had included us in the training we would have been," Ron said sullenly.

"No, Ron, you wouldn't be. If you think that I'm ready to take on Death Eaters now, you are way off the mark. That fact was proven when I nearly got killed yesterday. If it hadn't been for Dumbledore, I would have died. I am just in the Order to get information on Voldemort so the next time something happens I am aware of everything and can act accordingly."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but Harry raised his hand to stop her.

"Hermione, the stupidest thing we did that day was leaving Hogwarts. As long as we were at Hogwarts, we were safe. It was only when we were lured out that we were in danger. Not listening to you that day cost me dearly. Now that Dumbledore is back Hogwarts is safer than ever. But Voldemort knows a way to lure me out now, and it's you guys. If one of you were to be captured it would be all over. I would hand myself over to him and he knows it."

"Of course you wouldn't!" Hermione shrieked. "You are never to bargain your life for ours, Harry. None of us would ever stand for it."

Harry shook his head. "No, I can't do that, Hermione. I know that if you or Ron had to trade your lives to save mine, you'd do it. Don't ask me not to do the same. Look, right now we are not ready, we need to be smart and stay out of trouble till we are ready. For once let's just try and have a school year where we aren't nearly killed."

Harry's heart was heavy as he said this. For the first time in so many years of friendship he was lying to his friends. He knew that someday they would learn the truth and would probably hate him for it, but he consoled himself by thinking that he was doing this because he had to try and keep them out of danger. Nobody else was going to die because of him. He wouldn't allow Voldemort to claim anyone else.

Ginny sighed. "Ok, Harry, I guess this discussion is pointless anyway, since there is no force on earth that would make Mum agree to allow us to join the Order. I guess we'll just have to hold you to your promise of teaching us everything you learned. But remember this, if you think for one second that you are going to go charging into trouble and leave us behind, you can think again."

Harry nodded and turned to Ron.

Ron had a most disgruntled look on his face as he stared at his best friend. Harry returned the gaze unflinchingly.

Five years of such a close friendship, going through life and death situations every year and supporting each other through everything had formed a very strong bond between the two boys. Ron's eyes held a hundred questions, but he saw that Harry could not, or _would_ not, answer them. He sighed in defeat and shrugged, grinning ruefully. This little action cleared all the bad air, and suddenly everything between them was all right again.

"Ok, so tell us what you can about today's meeting already! The suspense is killing me," Ron said excitedly.

So Harry told them all about Snape being used by Voldemort all through the past year. Ron was fuming by the end.

"That absolute prick! Why'd you have to go and save him, mate? I bet he didn't even thank you for saving his miserable arse."

"Ron! Language!" Hermione shrieked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know, mate. You have never had the Cruciatus curse cast on you so you don't know the pain. Believe me, no one deserves that."

Ron muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like 'Snape sure as hell deserves it,' but otherwise he didn't argue.

They spent the rest of the afternoon talking and Harry told them about his summer in a bit more detail. Ginny and Hermione shared a long look when Harry mentioned Pat, but they too were very eager to meet her and the boys after hearing so much about them. Ron and Ginny took turns telling them about the pranks the twins had played on Percy.

"They've been really mean to him ever since he came back," Ginny said with a smile. "The day after he came and apologized, they put a whole pack of rainbow chews in his shepherd's pie."

"Rainbow chews?" Harry asked curiously.

"Yeah, your skin turns into one of the colours in the rainbow and the colour keeps changing every hour or so," Ron grinned. "Percy had to go to office with indigo hued skin. Looked a real sight."

"That was better than the time they put U-No-Poo in his pumpkin juice," Ginny said with a wicked grin.

Ron snorted and screwed up his face to try and control his mirth, but it was no use, for a second later he was rolling on the bed shaking with laughter. "Oh, that was something!" He finally managed to gasp out, lifting his head up slightly off the mattress. "He was sitting in the toilet for ages and then Tonks comes in and had to use the loo. She waited for him to come out for more than half an hour, and all the while there are all these 'noises' coming from inside. Finally she lost it and screamed at him 'Oi, Weatherby! Get your rocks off in the bedroom. I need to use the loo.' Five seconds later the door opens and Percy comes out. You should have seen his face, it was literally burning up. You could have roasted chestnuts on it." And with saying this he again exploded into laughter.

Harry burst out laughing and Ginny joined him after a second. Hermione looked at them disapprovingly but she too couldn't stop the smile from creeping across her face.

"Yeah, but he's changed a lot," Ginny said with a smile. "He even laughed about it later."

"So what's he doing nowadays?" Harry asked when he had finally stopped laughing.

"Well he's still stuck in Centaur Liaisons," Ron shrugged. "Dad is set on not helping him out of that mess."

Harry nodded and stored the information for later.

**OoOoOoO**

Bill and Harry sat across from one another on twin couches. Between them was a low coffee table that held four goblets and a jug of chilled pumpkin juice.

They were sitting in the parlour of No. 12 Grimmauld Place, and the previously unused room had been totally changed.

The old green carpeting had been completely stripped and the hardwood flooring underneath had been given a thorough polishing. Two sofas and couches sat facing each other creating a rough rectangle in the centre of the room, the coffee table right in the middle. They had been completely reupholstered in silk in a lovely navy and cream pinstriped pattern.

The walls, which had been dull, crumbly and had paint peeling of them, had been replastered and painted with a pleasant light beige colour.

In a corner of the room stood a liquor cabinet and an antique glass display case that held all the Black family china and silverware. All that remained of it, anyway. These had gone through a thorough testing by Dobby and Winky for any hexes and curses. Many pieces had had to be thrown away. Both the glass display case and the liquor cabinet had been polished, shined and varnished to within an inch of their lives and gleamed brightly.

Several knit rugs lay around the room on the floor and gave the room a cozy look. There was a small fireplace situated behind Harry's couch and this too had been given a thorough scrubbing. This had not been an easy task, even for the house-elves, as the fireplace had been covered in a decade of soot that Kreacher had never bothered to clean. It was too small to floo from but was large enough to talk through and to warm the room.

Overall the room was now a very pleasant place to sit and relax, receive visitors or conduct business.

Bill poured two goblets of pumpkin juice and handed one to Harry.

"Are you really sure about this?" Bill asked with a frown. "I feel as if I should be stopping you from doing this as your manager."

"Bill, this is something I want to do, ok?" Harry said calmly. "I know it's probably a big risk, but the truth is that while those two might be the biggest goof-offs I have ever seen, they have a real spark of brilliance hidden inside them. I think all they need is an opportunity and someone to keep an eye on them, and somehow I just have a good feeling about this."

Bill sighed. "I have this bad feeling that by 'someone,' you mean me."

Harry grinned. "Yep. The votes are in and you're the best man for the job."

Bill gave Harry a dirty look. "What votes are these? And how come I don't get to vote?"

Harry shrugged. "Hey, this isn't a democracy, you know. Only my vote counts."

Bill was about to retort when the door opened and the twins came in. At least they thought it was the twins, as their bodies were hidden behind large cartons that they were carrying.

They dropped the aforesaid cartons on a sofa and collapsed on the opposite one.

"Be a sport and pour us a glass of that juice will you, Harry, mate?" Fred said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Yeah, it's been a long day," George said, leaning back into the plush sofa.

A minute later both of them were gulping down the icy liquid that Harry had handed them.

"What's in the cartons?" Bill asked curiously.

"All in good time, Billy boy," George said with a grin.

"Yeah, patience is a virtue, you know," Fred put in.

"It's a virtue everybody in the family lost since the moment you two learned how to crawl," Bill retorted.

"Yeah, c'mon guys," Harry pleaded. "I'd like to know what's in there too."

"Shall we show them, Gred?"

"Well, Forge, ordinarily I'd say lets make them suffer a bit more... but since Harry's our partner…"

"Right you are. Besides it's all for ickle Harrikins anyway, so we might as well show him."

"Erm… guys whatever's in there isn't going to blow up the house, will it?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Well, it does have the capability to," Fred said with an evil smile.

"But it depends upon the user," George said reassuringly.

Bill groaned loudly.

Fred and George had opened each of the boxes while they were talking and Fred removed something bright, fluorescent green from inside one of the boxes. George imitated his action and put down another similar one right next to it.

Harry bent forward hesitantly to have a better look at it and had a big shock when he realized what the objects were. They were loudspeakers!

Fred pulled out a bright orange coloured music system from another carton and he and George plugged the speakers into it. Harry noticed that there were no wires to attach the system to an electric power source and wondered how the contraption worked.

"I think you'll like what we have done here," George said as he switched on the system.

Harry watched with astonished eyes as the system started. Fred removed a CD from inside a carton and popped it in.

A second later a song started playing which Harry immediately recognized as 'November Rain,' a popular number by Guns 'n' Roses.

"How does the system work?" Harry asked, voicing his amazement. "I mean you haven't plugged it into any electrical source. Is it running on batteries then?"

"Ask us no questions," Fred said with a smirk.

"And we'll tell you no lies," George finished as he cranked up the volume.

"We enhanced the volume in the system," Fred said, tapping his feet to the music.

"Yeah, the old capacity was too low."

Harry glanced at the speakers and judged them to be around the 2000w capability…which was plenty loud in itself without any need for enhancements.

"Just how much enhancement are we talking here?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Well… let's just say it wouldn't be a good idea to play it full blast in the Gryffindor common room," George said with a wink.

"Ok, time to show you the other features," Fred said rubbing his hands in glee. He turned a large knob clockwise and then pressed a silver button. A tiny shockwave passed over the four of them and subsided. He then cranked up the volume even more till Harry felt the whole room was shaking with the sound.

"It's too loud, Fred. Turn it down a little," Harry said shielding his ears.

"What's that you said, Harry, mate?" Fred asked loudly.

"I said turn down the volume a bit. Your Mum will throw a fit if she hears all this racket," Harry yelled.

Fred and George grinned.

"Take two steps back and see," George bellowed.

Harry looked at George in bewilderment, wondering what they were up to, but he took two steps back nonetheless. What happened then stunned him totally. He couldn't hear the sound of the system! He took two steps forward and immediately the sound hit him like a wave again.

Fred turned down the volume and turned to Harry, a huge grin on his face.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Harry asked excitedly.

"That was a little something we put inside to allow you to listen to music however loudly you want to, whenever you want to."

"You see, you set the distance you want the sound waves to travel with this knob here and press this silver button here. So suppose you select a distance of five feet… well, a sound barrier will be put five feet all around the system and no sound will be heard outside it," Fred explained.

"You could have a party in Gryffindor tower and play the music full blast and no one would ever be the wiser," George said with a wink.

"The system now also includes a built in wizard wireless," Fred said, pointing out a knob.

Harry stared at the system and then at the twins, excitement bubbling up within him. He was very impressed with what the twins had done. He chanced a look at Bill and saw that he was equally impressed.

"Guys… wow! Just wow! I don't know what to say… It's fantastic. I _really_ love it. Thank you very much."

Fred waved the thanks away. "Don't mention it, mate."

"Yeah, it was actually pretty fun building it. I can see why Dad enjoys tinkering around with all the electronic stuff so much."

"Now, was there any reason why you wanted to see us today?" Fred asked curiously, glancing at Bill.

Harry cleared his throat. "Well, there is one thing… Bill, would you like to do the honours?"

Bill nodded and looked at the twins. "Ok, guys, listen up. Harry is now a fifty percent partner in your shop and he thinks that it has great potential, but we both agree that right now it's not running very well and if things are not taken care of soon the shop might close down."

"Hey…business is just down," Fred protested.

"It will pick up in a few days when the Hogwarts shopping crowd comes in," George said, agreeing with his twin.

"That's not the point," Bill said, shaking his head. "The point is that while you guys might have a real talent for inventing pranks, you have absolutely no clue how to run a shop. You don't know how to advertise, promote or handle the customers. The loud and flashy antics you have going on are ok for now, but they'll get stale after a while. You need to have a constantly new theme, need to advertise, and most of all need to have someone competent run your financial affairs."

Fred and George looked highly mutinous and glared at Bill.

Bill ignored them and went on. "So… we decided that expanding the whole operation and bringing in competent people to run the business would be the solution. It would also leave you two jokers with free time to invent more…pranks."

"Oh, you decided, did you?" Fred asked threateningly.

"And what gives you the right to make such decisions about our shop?" George growled.

"I own fifty percent of 3W," Harry said in a calm voice. "Since Bill is my manager I guess I gave him the right to do this."

Fred and George jerked their heads around and stared at Harry.

"You?" George asked.

"… asked him to do all this?" Fred finished.

"Yes," Harry said simply, "but I suggest you let Bill finish."

"Yes, as I was saying…we decided it was high time something was done about it. So, and this goes against every one of my instincts, this is what we propose," Bill said, handing the twins a large legal contract.

They took it reluctantly and started reading it. A second or two later they both peeked up from over the top of the document with amazed looks on their faces and stared at Harry and Bill, both of whom wore large smiles on their faces. They put their heads back down and continued reading.

Five minutes later, for the first time in known history, Fred and George were speechless with shock.

"You…you…" Fred mumbled.

"_You bought Zonko's?"_ George choked out almost worshipfully.

"_We_ bought Zonko's," Harry said with a smile.

Fred and George looked at each other and then proceeded to goggle at Harry like goldfish.

"Now, listen," Bill said, interrupting them. "The Zonko's at Hogsmeade will run itself with its current staff until we are able to bring in our own people. It will start carrying 3W products as of now. They also have shops in Paris and New York and those will be run by the current staff until we are ready to take over. We will start introducing 3W products there very soon."

Fred and George nodded slowly, their eyes beginning to shine at the prospect.

"Next, we are going to start an advertising campaign to let the public know about the takeover. Over the next few months we will be making several changes, the smallest of which will be introducing a new mail order catalog. We are also going to hire people who know how to run a shop and give them charge, leaving you two free to invent."

Fred and George looked at each other for a second. "Listen, we're okay with bringing in people to help out, but we still want a say in how the shop will be run," Fred said adamantly.

"You are the part owners, you will have a major say," Bill said impatiently. "But since you are partners with Harry, he has a major say in everything as well."

George nodded. "I guess that's fair."

"Look, guys," Harry said suddenly. "There is another reason why you might not be able to pay attention to how the shop is run."

"And what may that be?" Fred asked quietly.

Harry took a deep breath. "I need a favor from you guys. It has nothing to do with this deal. It will go through regardless. You guys are free to turn me down."

"Just spit it out, mate," George said, leaning forward curiously.

"I would like you two to return to Hogwarts to finish your NEWTS," Harry said slowly.

There was a moment of silence and then the twins shouted almost at once.

"Mum put you up to this, didn't she?" Fred yelled angrily.

"Come on, Harry, what good can another year at Hogwarts or taking the NEWTS possibly do?" George said in an equally angry tone.

Harry sighed. "No, this has nothing to do with your mother."

"Then what, Harry?" Fred asked in a little calmer voice.

"You guys are right in the middle of this war because of your family's position. Your dad is very important in the Ministry, Bill and Charlie are Order members, Ron is my best friend, and now you are my business partners. We could just as well paint a target on your foreheads. Sooner or later you will be attacked because you are easy targets. And to be quite frank, you guys are not up to repelling any such attack yet," Harry said urgently.

"Hey, we can take on the Death Munchers any day," Fred said angrily.

"Yeah, when they come we will have a few nasty surprises planned for them," George said with a vicious grin.

"You will be no match for them. I taught you guys and I know what you are capable of," Harry said, shaking his head wearily. "Everything isn't a joke, guys. You have had a whole host of bad teachers ever since you started Hogwarts. Quirrel, for two years, Lockhart, and then that toad Umbridge. The only two saving graces were the fake Moody and Moony, but that's not enough, not _nearly_ enough."

Fred groaned. "What do you think we can learn in one year that we couldn't in six and a half?"

"Plenty! The DA is going to be an official school club this year and Dumbledore has promised that this years DADA professor will be good. I just need you guys to give me this one year."

The twins did not look very convinced.

Harry closed his eyes. "Look, there is another reason. I don't know how safe Hogwarts is going to be this year. I know it's supposed to be very safe but it's been broken into before and most probably can be broken into again. If anything goes down, I could use people who I can trust there to help. I also need someone to look out for Ron, Hermione and Ginny. They are the ones in most danger."

Fred and George exchanged another long look with each other and nodded slowly.

"Ok, we'll do it," Fred said quietly.

"Thank you," Harry said in a relieved voice.

Bill and the twins exchanged significant glances.

"Ok," Bill said breaking in. "The shares of the new company will be split seventy five – twenty five. Seventy five percent for Harry, twenty five percent to you. Twenty five percent of the shares will be sold back to you at the rate of two percent interest whenever you have the necessary capital." Bill looked up. "Is this agreeable to you?"

"Agreeable?" Fred snorted.

"Give us the bloody quill and show us where to sign," George yelled excitedly.

Bill reluctantly took out a bottle of ink and a quill and handed it to the twins and showed them where to sign. They lost no time in affixing their signature to the lengthy legal document. Harry was next and he too signed quickly where Bill showed him.

"Ok, now let's get to the…"Bill started.

"Bill, there is just one thing I want to say and then I will leave you three to it," Harry said interrupting them.

All three turned to him expectantly.

"After seeing the results of the music system, I think that it might be a good idea to start a section featuring electronic items for sale to the public. It is sure to be a big hit," Harry said eagerly.

Bill closed his eyes and looked to be pondering over the suggestion.

"I think it will be successful, Harry… but do you really want to take a risk?"

"Yes, I do. If you guys are agreeable, that is," Harry said turning to the twins.

Fred and George looked amazed that he would even ask such a question. "Of course we are," they said in unison.

"Great, then I guess I'll leave you guys to discuss business. I have a few things to do," Harry said getting up slowly from his couch.

"You… you don't want to stay for the rest of it?" Bill asked surprised.

Harry smiled and shook his head. "I know you guys will do a good job. Besides, I know absolutely nothing about running a shop."

Harry turned to the twins and grinned.

Harry…mate…" Fred said hesitantly.

"Don't, just… don't," Harry said softly, stopping the thanks that he knew that were coming. "I did it because you guys deserved it. It isn't a favor."

Saying that, he walked out of the room, leaving the three Weasley brothers alone.

George shook his head. "You know, when he asked for a favor, I thought it would actually be something for himself."

"Yeah, the guy is either too good to be true or mental," Fred said fervently.

"You two, listen up, and listen good," Bill said quietly. "The family owes a lot to Harry, and I mean a LOT. He saved Ginny, saved Dad and saved my life too, by giving himself up to the Death Eaters. By my reckoning we owe him about three life debts... and that only _begins_ to scratch the surface. I have always been very tolerant of your jokes, but screw up this time and I will really make you regret it. You got it?"

Fred and George nodded silently.

"Hey, we like to mess around but you know better than to think we would mess up such an opportunity," George said uneasily.

"Yeah, we owe Harry big time. Without him there would be no Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. We'd probably be stuck at the Ministry in a boring desk job," Fred said in a horrified whisper.

"Now _there's_ a scary thought," Bill said with a grin.

**OoOoOoO**

It was past midnight, and everybody was asleep in No. 12 Grimmauld Place, or at least they ought to have been. Lights burned brightly in two rooms, however, the bedroom of Harry Potter, and the kitchen.

Arthur, Remus, Tonks, Bill, Charlie, Fred and George all sat around the kitchen table looking at Molly expectantly.

"I have called you here tonight to discuss what is to be done about Harry's relatives," Molly said in a grim voice.

"What do you mean, Mum?" Fred asked curiously.

Molly was silent for a second and opened her mouth to speak, but before any words could come out her face crumpled and she covered it with her hands. Even now, after so many hours, remembering those memories left her shaken. She had immersed herself in work all day to keep from remembering any of it, but now it had become too much for her to take. The dam had finally broken.

Arthur rubbed her back comfortingly as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Let's just say he was pretty badly abused as a kid, guys," Charlie said quietly.

The twins nodded, their faces hardening. They remembered all too well the bars on the window and cat flap on Harry's bedroom door.

"Right," Molly said shakily, her voice still sounding a bit emotional. "The Ministry and Dumbledore might not do anything, but I'm not going to sit back and let them get away with it."

"Molly, we can make a complaint to the Ministry. They will take action against them," Tonks said hesitantly.

Molly made a disgusted sound. "They can't do anything. You know as well as I do that since his relatives are Muggles the Ministry cannot interfere. The matter will go to the Muggle authorities and they might weasel out of any actual punishment at all, as they have no actual proof of the abuse. Harry would have to testify against them and he'll never do that."

Tonks ran a weary hand through her spiky green hair as she acknowledged Molly's point. Harry would hate coming into the limelight and testifying against his relatives… and if word ever leaked out about the abuse the reporters would have a field day. She could just imagine the headlines: BOY-WHO-LIVED ABUSED BY MUGGLE RELATIVES.

"Arthur, can you make sure that Privet Drive is not being monitored tomorrow night?" Molly asked her husband.

Arthur nodded slowly. "Yes, I believe I could pull a few strings."

"Good. Now we have to decide what we are going to do," Molly said, an ominous quality in her voice that bore no good for the Dursleys.

"Well, we have some particularly nasty products that we wanted to try out. We were saving them for the Death Munchers, but I guess Harry's relatives are fair game," George said thoughtfully.

"Maybe I can introduce them to a particularly 'friendly' Hungarian Horntail that we have back in Romania. I doubt anybody would miss them," Charlie offered.

"I wouldn't mind trying out a few nasty hexes I learned during Auror training," Tonks said eagerly. "I bet Remus knows a fair many too."

"No, none of these are any good," Remus said, shaking his head. "If Harry ever found out we had done any of this, he would never forgive us. Hexing them or pranking them is not the answer, and while it is nice to think of feeding them to a dragon it really won't work out."

"Not to mention that such a thing would come under cruelty to animals," Fred quipped.

"I think I may know of something that might suit the purpose," Bill said thoughtfully. "It's called the 'Curse of Nefertiti.'"

"What's that?" Tonks asked, leaning forward in interest.

"Well, it was invented during the reign of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti," Bill said slowly. "It's a highly complex curse to cast and the more the people, the more the power behind it. The curse is highly complex in the way it works. It's almost as if it has a mind of its own. The simplest way to put it is that it will make the victim of the curse experience things that will make him realize how he has wronged others. So, supposing I were to starve you and the curse were put on me, I might not be able to get any food to eat despite my best efforts and would have to sleep on an empty stomach until the curse can be broken. Suppose I were to punish an innocent without just cause, It might happen that I could get accused and punished for a lot of things that I didn't do. Now, I say 'might happen', because you can't really predict how the curse will behave in any given situation. It will react differently to different people. The only thing that you will know for certain is that it will punish the person for his crimes in a manner that will make them realize and suffer for their sins."

"How can the curse be broken?" Arthur asked.

"Once cast, it is almost unbreakable. The only thing that ends it is when the person it is cast upon is genuinely sorry for all he did. If you get upset at the person you have wronged and blame him for your predicament it only gets worse. You have to realize your fault and want to make amends for it, and only then will it end. Most people cannot bring themselves to do this and so the curse never ends for them."

"It's perfect, Bill," Molly said with a bitter smile on her face. "Maybe this will make them learn just how badly they have treated Harry."

"Yes, I must agree that it suits our purposes admirably well," Remus said, nodding his head in agreement.

"Do you know how the curse is cast?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, I was very fascinated when I heard about it and made it a bit of a research project, and the eight of us are more than enough to make it work."

"The nine of us," said a voice from the door.

Everybody jerked around to see a very determined Ginny Weasley standing by the open door. She was dressed in her nightgown and carrying a long piece of flesh-coloured string.

**OoOoOoO**

It was very late at night, around four-thirty or so. Harry supposed that he could call it insanely early in the morning if he so pleased. He had just woken up from another one of his nightmares after a bare hour of sleep.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly and walked downstairs, hoping to get a cup of tea from the kitchen before tackling his Arithmancy books.

Upon reaching the kitchen, he quickly spotted the kettle and went to fill it with water. He was just about to put the kettle on the stove when a small hand tapped him on the shoulder.

His training kicked in instinctively and a second later he was holding his wand to the neck of a very surprised Ginny Weasley.

"Merlin, Ginny!" Harry growled in frustration as he put away his wand. "Don't _ever_ do that."

Ginny was too shocked to say much at first, but slowly anger rose within her. He had some nerve! She was the one who was nearly hexed into next Tuesday and he had the gall to snap at her!

She opened her mouth to yell at him, and tell him exactly how many types of a prat he was, when she noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the way his body was stooped with weariness. Her face softened immediately.

"Here, let me make that for you," she said, taking the kettle from his hands and gently pushing him towards a chair.

"You don't have to…" Harry started.

"I know I don't have to," Ginny said cutting him off. "But since I know where everything is better than you, and I'm here, I might as well do it."

She quickly put the kettle on the stove and went about getting out the tea leaves and mugs.

"How come you're up so late?" she asked him casually as she went about her work.

"Couldn't sleep," Harry said shortly.

He observed her moving gracefully around the kitchen, the dying fire casting a glow on her fiery hair and bringing out all its highlights – ginger, auburn, orange, copper. Her skin was pale and milky, marred only by the odd scattering of freckles. He also couldn't help but notice that somewhere down the line she had grown up and begun to develop a really curvaceous figure.

He dragged his thoughts away from where his thoughts were heading and wondered what had brought them on. Was he losing his mind because of lack of sleep? Because for a minute he had been viewing Ron's little sister in a very different way than he ever had before… as if he thought she was beautiful… well, she _was_ very beautiful … but … Arghhhh! Forget it Potter…just forget it… it's just the lack of sleep.

She was Ron's little sister. She was dating Dean Thomas. Conclusion – no thoughts other than purely brotherly thoughts about her.

He was brought out of his internal monologue when Ginny set a mug of tea before him and sat down on the chair opposite him with her mug.

"Thanks," Harry said with a smile.

Ginny laughed. "It's no big deal, Harry, just a cup of tea."

A warm feeling spread through Harry's chest at hearing her laugh. She had a very nice laugh. Funny how he had never noticed it before.

"So, what are you doing up?" Harry asked, taking a sip of the hot tea.

Her smile dropped away and she shrugged. "Nightmares. I get them every now and then. I heard some noise from downstairs and thought that I might as well get up."

Harry looked at her in concern. "I didn't know you had nightmares. Have you had a problem with them for long?"

"Well, they started after my first year," Ginny said softly. "It was the same ones… Tom dragging me down to the chamber, the basilisk… they had stopped for a while but every now and then I get a few."

What she didn't tell him was that all her recent nightmares had nothing to do with the chamber. They were about a black haired, green-eyed boy lying broken and bleeding on the ground, his life force draining away. The nightmares left her shaken to her very core, fear stabbing through her heart like a cold dagger.

Harry covered her small hand with his. "I haven't been a very good friend to you, have I?"

"Oh, stop it, Harry," Ginny said, shaking her head vigorously. "You had too many things on your plate to have to deal with my little problems. They mean nothing."

"They _do not_ mean nothing," Harry said firmly, "and I may have had my hands full but that does not excuse my behavior. I was never there when you needed me."

"Harry, you saved my life. You were there when I needed you the most. Nobody can ever accuse you of not being there for me," Ginny said with a gentle smile.

"Look, I'd like us to be friends, Ginny. There's a lot I don't know about you and I want to change that."

Ginny smiled brightly. "I'd like that too, Harry."

They were silent for a moment and sipping their tea as they looked at each other. A pleasant silence hung between them and there was no need for either of them to speak.

Finally Ginny broke the silence. "Are you upset about finding me inside your Pensieve? It wasn't intentional, you know."

Harry was silent for a moment and then he shrugged. "It's all right."

"Do you hate them?" Ginny asked hesitantly.

Harry was silent as he pondered her question. Did he hate the Dursleys?

"Maybe once upon a time I did hate them," he said quietly, his voice a mere whisper. "But now there are so many other bigger things to worry about that I really don't have too much time to think about them. They just don't matter to me at all. They're just a minor nuisance that I have to deal with." He sighed. "I told you, Ginny, it's all in the past. Don't let any of it bother you."

Saying that, he drained his cup and wishing her goodnight trudged back up to his room.

Ginny watched him go, a wave of sorrow welling up inside her. She hated that he had gone through so much that the monstrous deeds of his relatives didn't matter to him anymore.

But she would get revenge, oh yes!

Molly at first had refused to even consider her going, listing any number of reasons that she could _absolutely not_ come along.

Ginny had stood her ground and shot all her arguments down.

It looked like it was going to become a full-fledged shouting match when her father had stepped in and taken her side.

Usually Arthur Weasley never went against his wife's wishes, but he saw the fire in her eyes, the hurt, the need for vengeance, and most of all, the love she felt for Harry. He could see that this was one thing she needed to do.

So he had taken Molly aside and had a whispered argument with her, and her mother had very reluctantly agreed. Ginny had never loved her father more than at that moment.

_Nobody_ messed with her Harry and got away with it.

**OoOoOoO**


	17. Unsure Steps Forward

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (15)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - to find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** No I don't own Harry Potter. I just write fanfics for fun and make absolutely no money out of it. It all belongs to the great JK Rowling.

Thanks go to my Beta - **MuggleMomma (Tricia)**, my proof reader **Melinda (Melindaleo).** You guys rock!

**OoOoOoO**

**Unsure Steps Forward **

**OoOoOoO**

Harry was lying in bed, his mind a whirlpool of thoughts and worry.

The encounter with the Death Eaters had again forced him to think very deeply about everything. He realized, with a pang of fear, that he hadn't been a match for them. True, he could have probably escaped if it hadn't been for Bill, but the fact remained that he would have lost if he had stayed and fought. And they hadn't even been using the killing curse.

Harry also knew that Voldemort was somewhere on par with Dumbledore in terms of power, and the Headmaster was the person who had single handedly captured nearly all the Death Eater Inner Circle at the Ministry. He realized that Voldemort was equally capable of taking on the Order and incapacitating them.

Even after training all summer he wasn't even close to being ready. There was _no way_ he could beat Voldemort in a duel. And no matter how hard he trained all through the year he still didn't think he would be ready.

Voldemort had been studying magic for fifty years. He was a master at dueling, probably second only to Dumbledore. He also possessed one of the most cunning and brilliant minds Hogwarts had ever seen.

Harry, on the other hand, had five years of training and had been an average student. In those five years he had exactly _two_ competent DADA professors. Lastly, he didn't fool himself by thinking he was a match for the Dark Lord in the brains section.

Dumbledore… yes, the ancient Headmaster was the only reason that Voldemort hadn't won the war already. But for how long would it last? Dumbledore was not young, even by wizarding standards, and he couldn't defeat or kill Voldemort. How long before the light finally lost the only person keeping the Dark Lord at bay?

And what would happen then? Voldemort had taken so many precautions to ensure he couldn't be killed. He was as close to immortal as anybody had ever reached. What would happen if Harry failed to defeat him?

Would the Dark Lord terrorize the world for an eternity? Was that to be the fate of the world? Would that be the fate of all his friends?

The thought terrified Harry beyond all measure.

The prophecy… it was absolutely vital that Voldemort didn't get his hands on it. The only reason that he still feared Dumbledore was because he thought the Headmaster could defeat him. It would be a shattering blow to the light if the Dark Lord found out that this was not true. Voldemort not knowing the contents of the prophecy was the one advantage the light side had, and it had to be kept secret at all cost.

But if Voldemort captured him, was there any possible way of keeping the prophecy from him? No matter how good an Occlumens Harry was it would do no good once he was under the Cruciatus curse.

Suddenly Harry remembered a passage from the book on Unforgivables that he had read over the summer. Maybe… just maybe… there might be a way. It was foolish and so risky that it didn't even bear thinking about. And there was only one person who could possibly help him with it – _Severus Snape._

**OoOoOoO**

Harry moved his hands slowly, bringing them in position to block an unseen blow. Again they moved, into yet another position, his body moving jerkily with his hands to counter another blow.

His normally smooth movements were hampered by his yet unhealed wounds. While the burns had greatly healed, his body was still sore from the prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus curse.

He relaxed as he completed the exercise, raising a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. He had been working out for close to an hour and it had been hard, sweaty work. He had driven himself mercilessly, ignoring his body's protests. Tears of pain streaked his face along with the sweat.

Stripping off his wet top, he threw it to the ground and fell down to the floor and began to count off his pushups, the final bit of his workout.

After nearly a month and a half of rigorous exercise he had managed to get himself upto a hundred pushups a day. It was mostly due to Sean's hitleristic behavior in the dojo that this had been possible. He knew he would be lucky to manage fifteen today.

He grunted painfully as he drove his body to its limit and in his exertion didn't hear the footsteps entering the room.

"HARRY POTTER!" Hermione shrieked indignantly, "What in the blazes do you think you are doing?"

Harry got up slowly and wiped his face with a towel. "Exercising. What did it look like?"

Hermione glared at him. "I can see _that_. What I'm trying to understand, and failing to, is how you can be so thick as to do any exercise so soon after you were injured. Your body isn't even healed yet!" she hissed angrily.

Harry shrugged. "It's really ok. I'm fine."

Hermione's lips pursed up in disapproval and she was just opening her mouth to _really_ yell at Harry when she was stopped by Ginny's hand on her arm.

"Leave it, Hermione," she whispered. "It's not the time for it. Besides, he's already gone and done it. No use yelling at him now." Her voice had a tinge of annoyance, laced with worry in it. But she sensed that Harry was not really in the mood for any lectures.

Ron, on the other hand, was gaping at Harry. "Are you trying to punish yourself for something? That hurt just by looking at it. And why in the blue blazes do you want to get up so early in the morning to do this? Six in the morning is earlier than even garden gnomes rise! You've gone barmy, you have."

Harry grinned at his tousled haired friend, who looked like he had been dragged out of bed kicking and screaming. Ron never liked getting up before ten during vacations and seven was positively unthinkable for him.

"You mean you aren't going to join me from tomorrow? I was hoping you would," Harry said innocently.

"Me? Join you?? To do physical exercise??? At _six_ in the morning????" Ron said in an aghast whisper, he looked at Harry like he wanted to seize him and drag him off to St Mungo's to be examined. "Hah! If you even _try_ to wake me up that early you will be the _Boy-who-died_."

Harry burst out laughing. It was so good to be with his friends again. So good to see Ron being his normal self, to see Hermione glaring at them both, while a small smile tugged at her lips. To see Ginny giggling helplessly at her brothers reaction.

"Come on, Harry," Ginny said finally. "Let's go down and get some breakfast.

Harry nodded. "You guys head down. I need to go shower first."

Ginny shrugged and she turned and walked out of the room, followed by a still annoyed Hermione, and a more awake Ron, who had finally perked up at hearing the word 'breakfast'.

Harry headed in the opposite direction, for his well earned and much needed shower.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry sat opposite Dumbledore, screwing his face up in concentration to keep his mental shields intact. He was panting from exertion, and felt drained. It felt like a battering ram was hitting his defenses, repeatedly.

The Headmaster was throwing quite a bit of his considerable force in trying to breach his shields and so far he had not managed to get through. He marveled at how much Harry had improved in Occlumency in such a short time. It was nothing short of amazing.

He applied even more pressure against Harry's shields and they finally collapsed. Dumbledore broke off the attack immediately.

Harry had been making good progression in Occlumency. While he was still not a master Occlumens, he could now protect his mind quite adequately. Voldemort would still be able to break into his mind if he was physically in front of Harry, but he would no longer be able to use the link he shared with him to break into his mind. This pleased Dumbledore greatly, as it was just one more area that Harry had made progress in leaps and bounds over the summer.

Harry sighed and rubbed his temples tiredly. He had the beginnings of a massive headache and felt like he had run a marathon. These sessions were always very draining.

He looked up to see Dumbledore smiling at him, the twinkle in his eyes turned on full power. "That was excellent, Harry. I believe that now you are at a level where your mind is safe from Tom's mental intrusions."

Harry nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips, then he remembered how the Dark Lord had broken into Snape's mind and the smile quickly vanished.

Dumbledore noticed this, and he gently put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Do not think of it, Harry. You will not need to worry about that unless he is successful in kidnapping you. And if we are careful that will never happen. There is this wise Muggle saying: Prevention is better than a cure. I think it applies to this situation marvelously, don't you think?"

Harry slowly nodded.

He knew that over the past month a group of the best curse-breakers and ward casters had been working day and night to make Hogwarts safe. _Safer than ever before_. Multiple layers of protections had been added, making it impossible to use a Portkey in or out of the Castle, unless the portkey was made by the Headmaster. The Floo networks had been locked. No one could enter or exit through them. The secret passages had all been heavily charmed to stop any disreputable person from using them. Any high level Dark Magic or Unforgivables would set off alarms.

But there were always ways. And this had been proven before.

The Forbidden Forest was one place they couldn't protect against. It was situated on the edge of the castle boundaries and it was far too big to ward properly. That was one entrance that would always be open to attack.

"What about my friends? Jack, Sean and Alan? And Pat and her family? Will they be safe?"

"Indeed, Harry," Dumbledore said gently. "I have had strong wards put up all around their houses. If any Death Eater so much as comes close to any of them the area will be swarming with Aurors."

"Thank you, professor," Harry said gratefully.

"There is no need to thank me, Harry. I was very pleased to find out that you made such good friends. If making sure that they are protected is all I need to do to repay them for saving your life then I was very pleased to do so. And speaking of them… they will be arriving here by Portkey, tomorrow morning, at eleven."

Harry smiled. It would be fun to see them again. He was also eager to introduce them to Ron, Hermione and Ginny.

"Now excuse me, Harry, our Muggle Studies Professor is leaving us next year and I need to start looking for replacements."

"Thank you… I couldn't have done this without you, Professor. I hope you have luck finding a new teacher."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Perhaps luck might have to play a role in finding me a teacher for this subject. All Muggleborn teachers are either leaving the country, or have no interest in teaching at Hogwarts due to the state of the war."

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment. "What are the qualifications needed for the post, Professor?"

Dumbledore eyed Harry shrewdly. "At least an Exceeds Expectations in the NEWT's in Muggle Studies, some knowledge of the latest technologies in the Muggle world, and preferably a few years of having stayed amongst the Muggles."

Harry smiled. "Professor, you say the current Professor isn't leaving until next year… what if a certain squib, who has stayed amongst Muggles all her life, was to come and apprentice under him for a year, and then take her Muggle Studies NEWT's at the end of the year. Would that make her qualified to teach the subject?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled merrily. "I do think you might have hit upon an ideal solution, Harry. But would this squib be interested in teaching at Hogwarts?"

Harry grinned. "Absolutely."

"Very well, for this to work she will need to take her OWL's before the start of the school year. But I think that should not be a problem. I will talk with her and her parents and see if they are agreeable."

Harry's grin broadened. "Thank you, Professor. It will mean a lot to her."

Dumbledore merely smiled at the young boy that he had come to think of as his own Grandson. He was glad to see him smiling again.

Harry Potter grinned as the Headmaster apparated away. Pat was going to be stunned at this. She might get to go to Hogwarts after all.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry slowly walked out of the parlour, where he had been practicing his Occlumency with Dumbledore and went off to find Ron and Hermione.

He wondered how his magical friends would get along with his Muggle friends. Would they become friends? He hoped they would.

He peeked into the kitchen and saw that they weren't in there. He walked into the Hall and didn't find them there either. He shrugged and began climbing the stairs to Ron's room, figuring they would be in there.

Alan and Ron would find one thing in common – Chess. Both were masters at it and were sure to have a grand time trying to beat each other.

He had an idea that Hermione would get along with Pat very well, and he hoped Ginny would too.

As for Sean and Jack… he could only wonder.

He heard noises coming from Ron's room and smiled, bounding up the last few steps and pulling open the door.

What he saw inside froze him in place, his eyes going impossibly wide.

Ron and Hermione were sitting on Ron's bed and it looked like they were trying to suck each other's tonsils out. Hermione's clothes were disheveled and a couple of buttons were undone… and Ron's hands… _Ron's hands were…._ _roaming._

They apparently hadn't heard him come in.

Harry blushed bright red and covered his face with his hand, blindly reaching for the door knob to close the door as he made his exit.

He bumped into a warm body behind him and heard a small feminine 'oof' of surprise.

He uncovered his eyes for a second to see the face of a very curious Ginny Weasley, before he heard Hermione making a needy, mewling sound and let go of the door so he could try and cover both his ears, shutting his eyes tightly.

He considered Hermione as his sister and Ron was the closest thing he had to a brother… seeing both of them… _like that_… it was just _wrong_.

Ginny peered into the room and then at Harry and started giggling helplessly.

"Oi… you t-two…s-s-stop it… I think you've scarred p-poor Harry for life!" she gasped breathlessly, before bursting out into giggles again.

Hermione and Ron both looked up in shock. Ron leapt up about three feet in the air, a panicked look on his face as he tried to think of a reason for why his lips had been attached to Hermione's. But Hermione knew they had been caught. She blushed as bright a red as Harry and buried her face in her hands.

"I'll… um… I'll just go down and come back later," Harry said quickly, whirling around and almost running out of the room.

Ginny's giggles followed him all the way down the stairs along with Ron's muffled curses.

_Ten minutes later…_

There was a hesitant knock on Harry's door and he looked up from his book on Arithmancy. "Come in."

The door opened and a sheepish looking Ron and Hermione walked in, followed by Ginny who had a wicked grin on her face that said loads about how much she was enjoying this.

"Harry… we didn't mean for you to see…" Hermione started timidly.

"Stop! Don't say any more… please," Harry said quickly, cutting her off.

"I don't _ever _want todiscuss _that. _I'm glad that you're together and I'm happy for you. Let's leave it at that."

Hermione nodded quickly. "I think that would be best."

"So… are you mad at us for not telling you earlier?" Ron asked slowly.

Harry _was_ a bit upset about not being told about this development between his two best friends, truth be told. But considering the amount of things he was hiding from them he felt it would be hypocritical of him to say anything to them.

"No, not mad," Harry said shaking his head.

Ron looked relieved. "You could try knocking next time, you know."

Harry glared at him. "You could try _locking_ next time. Or putting up a sign outside. I'm not psychic."

Ron's face went bright red and he looked away.

"What's that you're reading, Harry?" Hermione asked quickly, trying to change the subject.

Harry handed her his textbook on Arithmancy. "I picked up a book each on Arithmancy and Ancient Runes when I was in Diagon Alley, you know… to find out what the subjects are about. Well, they were quite interesting. So I figured if I could take my OWL's on them before we go back to Hogwarts, and if I pass, I might take these two subjects instead of Divination and COMC."

Hermione squealed excitedly. "That's wonderful, Harry! Do you need any help?"

"Well, to tell you the truth I was doing all right till the fourth year material," Harry said exasperatedly. "But now it's all starting to go over my head. Especially Ancient Runes. So yeah, I was hoping you could help."

"I'll be glad to help out, Harry," Hermione beamed. "I think I have all my notes from the fourth and fifth year with me. I'll lend them to you. And we can spend a few hours studying each day. Once you get the hang of the formulas it gets much easier."

Harry grinned. "Thanks, Hermione, you are a lifesaver. I can always depend on you," he said warmly.

Hermione blushed, and shot Harry a small, pleased smile.

"Are you both quite done?" Ron demanded. "Wasn't it enough that one person was obsessed with schoolwork and studies, Harry? Why did you have to go join her too?" Ron still looked as if he was not totally sure whether Harry was under some kind of mind control spell or polyjuice potion.

Before either of them could answer Dobby popped into the room with a jug of iced Pumpkin juice and several goblets. He placed it on the table in front of Harry. "Is Harry Potter needing anything else?"

Harry smiled warmly at the House Elf. "No, thank you, Dobby."

Dobby nodded and popped away.

Harry could almost feel the glare Hermione was directing at him and he sighed.

"All right, Hermione, say it."

"How could you, Harry? After all you've seen, after all my efforts into S.P.E.W, how could you keep not one, but two of them? It's slavery. Pure and simple," Hermione said in a wounded tone.

"Firstly, Hermione, Dobby and Winky are not my slaves, they are my employees. They get wages, and time off, and can wear anything they want."

"Really? How much are you paying them, then?" Hermione demanded angrily.

"As much as I can get them to accept," Harry said calmly. "If you think you can get them to accept more, go right ahead. I'll pay them whatever they agree to. It was a headache to get them to accept any pay at all."

"That's not the point, Harry," Hermione said frustratedly. "You are famous in the wizarding world, a symbol, what message do you send out when you keep House-Elves?"

"Hermione, when people see Dobby and Winky I hope that they see how happy they are and stop abusing their elves. That's the message I want to send out."

"Look, I think your whole thinking on House-Elves is wrong," Harry said gently.

"How so?" Hermione asked angrily.

Harry ignored her tone, getting a bit irritated himself. "Look, you must understand that House-Elves _enjoy_ their work. You can argue till you are blue in the face and you still wont change this fact. Take Dobby as an example. He might wear clothes, be paid, take time off, but try and get him to _not_ do any work and he'd be miserable. You make the mistake of thinking of them as the same as Humans. Well, they're not, Hermione, they are a separate species," Harry said earnestly. He saw the stubborn look on Hermione's face and knew that he hadn't convinced her.

"Ok, look, I'll give you an example, let me see…" Harry said, thinking furiously to try and convince the angry brunette before she completely lost it and started yelling at him.

"Okay, Ants… and no, I'm not calling House-Elves ants, it's just an example" Harry said placatingly, seeing Hermione's eyes flash in fury.

"When we look at an anthill, what do we see? Hundreds and millions of ants, working all day long, carrying loads that seem almost impossible to believe for their size. None of them seem to have an identity of their own, they are just another ant in the anthill. But that's how ants live, they know no other way to live. They couldn't survive any other way. It's the same with House-Elves. They are different. If you want to try and help House-Elves, first understand them and their culture."

"Your thinking is totally flawed, Harry. House Elves can think, can speak, have brains that they can use to think for themselves. How can you even begin to compare them to an ant in an anthill? You say they might like the work they do but what if they did some other kind of work and they decided they liked that better? How will they ever know if they don't have an option?" Hermione argued fiercely.

"You sooo missed the point, Hermione. What I meant was that you should find out more about them before you go crusading for their rights. I mean, Ron and I always thought that you were a bit mad to be so crazy about studies and research. We thought that you didn't know what you were missing out on by not playing Quidditch. But you know what? You would be miserable playing Quidditch, because you enjoy what you do. It's what defines you. But you're right in a way, they haven't exactly had a choice of job offers to choose from. Let's say that they _would_ like an option to do another type of job, you really think the way you are going is the right way to go about it?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked defensively, her eyes narrowed. "I was the only one doing _anything_ for their rights."

Harry sighed. "What I _meant_ was, you spent all of last year knitting hats and leaving them in the Gryffindor common room. Supposing a few house elves _were_ tricked into freedom, where would they go? Who would hire them?"

"Dumbledore would hire them. He hired Dobby," Hermione pointed out.

"Hermione, what if Umbridge had found out about the free elves and that Dumbledore was paying them? How long do you think it would have been before she passed a decree banning the hiring of free house elves? You know her hatred of half-breeds and other magical creatures as well as I do."

Hermione went red. She knew that she couldn't argue Harry's logic on this.

"Where would those House-Elves go, Hermione? Who would hire them? Who in today's world would give a disgraced house elf work? Did you think they could just go up to people and ask for work?"

"Well, what would you have done?" Hermione burst out.

Harry looked at her warily. He knew that she was highly upset. "I think if you want to make their lives better you must change people's way of thinking first, not the House-Elves'. You should petition for their rights in the Ministry, you should set up a system to employ House-Elves that have no work or wish to be free. Get the people who abuse House-Elves prosecuted. People need to start appreciating them for the work they do, before _anything_ can be done."

Hermione suddenly leapt up, her face showing a mix of anger and hurt, and strode out of the room.

Harry was stunned for a second, but then he got up to follow her.

"Don't," Ginny's voice stopped him in his tracks. "You just destroyed over two years of her work, efforts and way of thinking. Let her be alone for a while to think it over."

"Do you reckon I was wrong?" Harry asked her worriedly.

"No, you said what needed to be said," Ginny said gently. "I agree with you totally. But still give her some time to think about what you said."

Harry nodded wearily, and sank down into his chair, a frown on his face.

Ron came up and slapped him on his shoulder showing his support for him, and telling him in his own way that he didn't think he was to blame for Hermione getting upset.

Harry was immensely grateful for it.

**OoOoOoO**


	18. The Gang Arrives

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (16)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - to find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** No I don't own Harry Potter. I just write fanfics for fun and make absolutely no money out of it. It all belongs to the great JK Rowling.

This chapter is dedicated to **MuggleMomma** as it is her birthday. Happy Birthday, Trish, May you have a very happy and prosperous year ahead of you.

**OoOoOoO**

**The Gang Arrives**

**OoOoOoO**

It was around 10 pm, dinner had been eaten a while ago, and mostly everybody had gone up to bed. Harry was sitting at his desk, peering at a large Arithmancy textbook and then making notes on one of the several pieces of parchment in front of him in his untidy, spiky handwriting. His hands were ink stained and some of it had rubbed off on his face when he had unconsciously scratched his nose with his inky hands.

The ground around him was littered with crumpled up pieces of paper, evidence of plenty of frustrated efforts. Arithmancy had begun to get really difficult and he just couldn't figure out some of it.

At first he didn't hear the soft knock on his door, but when it was repeated he looked up in confusion. Trying to understand the problem he was working on was taking all of his attention and so the knock sounded like it was coming from very far away.

The knocking was repeated again and Harry sighed in annoyance.

The door opened slightly and Hermione peeked in. Her bushy hair was tied up in a bun and she was dressed in a thick, sky blue robe, from under which he could see glimpses of a matching cotton nightgown.

"May I come in?" she asked in a small voice.

Harry nodded. "Come on in, Hermione."

She walked in hesitantly and took the seat opposite him.

Harry watched her curiously as she bit her lip nervously and refused to look at him directly. He had seen this look on her face several times over the years. It appeared usually when she was gathering up her courage or getting ready to say something she knew the other person wouldn't take kindly to.

She finally raised her eyes and looked at him. There was a sad, lost expression in the soft brown orbs. "You were right."

One thing Hermione could never stand was being wrong and Harry knew how difficult this admission must have been for her.

"I wasn't helping them. I decided what was best for them without even knowing what they wanted. Last year… if any of them had been freed it would have been a _disaster_."

"It's ok, the important thing is that nothing _did_ happen," Harry said shrugging his shoulders. "And whatever anybody may say, you _have_ been the only one at Hogwarts crusading for their rights. Your intentions were good, that's all that matters."

"Oh, Harry! It seems so hopeless," Hermione said sadly. "The more I think of it, the more it looks impossible. The wizarding world is so set in its prejudices. The purity of blood counts for everything. You really think anybody is going to listen to me at the Ministry when I ask for the laws to be changed? You really think they'll prosecute a pureblood family for abusing their house elves if a 'Mudblood' makes a complaint? No, nobody will care. Most of the old pureblooded families have House Elves, and they are hardly going to set them free and inconvenience themselves."

Harry looked back at her, a determined look in his eyes. "Hermione, I never claimed that this was going to be easy. It's going to be a battle all the way. For it to succeed people will _have_ to change. And not one person or two, or even twenty. _All of them_. If they don't… well, then we have a lot bigger problems than House Elves rights on our hands. But this is something worth doing, a battle worth fighting. And you aren't alone, I'm with you, so is Ron, Ginny, and if you do this properly, most of the Order. That's a start."

Hermione suddenly leapt from her seat and hugged Harry tightly. "Thank you," she whispered against his ear. "It means so much to me to hear you say that."

Harry blushed and patted Hermione's back awkwardly. He was still very unused to anybody hugging him.

Hermione got up and turned to leave. When she reached the door she glanced back at him slowly. "You've changed, Harry."

Harry looked up at her and shrugged slowly. "I've had to."

**OoOoOoO**

Harry tiredly walked down the stairs to the kitchen after another sleepless night. He had woken screaming from yet another nightmare where he had been forced to see all his loved ones die. It was getting so bad that Harry was seriously considering asking Madam Pomfrey for some Dreamless Sleep Potion. He badly needed sleep.

But right now he needed a cup of tea, needed to clear the cobwebs in his mind and calm down before he could start studying again. He had to work hard if he was to have even a chance at passing the OWL tests that he would be taking in a few days.

He waved his wand distractedly and the kitchen lamps flared to life. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he walked to the counter and started rummaging around for some teabags.

He was startled when a voice behind him softly asked, "Hi, can't sleep again?"

He turned around slowly to see a sleepy Ginny Weasley standing behind him, dressed in a thin, mint green cotton nightshirt. It barely came up to mid-thigh, giving Harry a tantalizing view of her legs.

"Yeah," Harry said in a slightly high pitched voice as he tore his eyes away from her legs. He quickly turned around and went back to trying to find the teabags. "You… you have another nightmare?"

"No, I heard you walking down the stairs and woke up," Ginny answered with a soft sigh, as she walked up to him and removed the teabags from their proper tin.

Harry looked up at her apologetically. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

Ginny waved it off. "It's nothing, Harry, I'm a light sleeper. When you live in the same house as Fred and George you have to be to avoid getting pranked. It's not your fault."

Between the two of them they soon had the tea ready and sat across each other with their mugs, slowly sipping the hot, fragrant liquid.

Harry found himself stealing constant looks at the pretty redhead sitting opposite him. He was clueless as to why he suddenly found the youngest Weasley so fascinating, but he knew that it wouldn't do to have her catch him staring at her. Too many questions would be raised… most of which he didn't have an answer to.

Ginny had noticed the looks. It was very difficult not to. She had also seen him look at her legs when she had first come down and she was more than pleased. She had come down without her robe for a reason, after all. Ginny knew that if her mother came down and caught her dressed like this… Oh! Molly Weasley would have dragons! but some risks had to be taken when seducing thick boys who never noticed what was right in front of them.

She had a feeling that Harry was attracted to her, or atleast he would be with a little nudging. But with what she saw in his Pensieve she wondered whether he would ever act on it. She realized that he would probably never make the first move, she agreed with Hermione completely about that. His disastrous relationship with Cho Chang must not have done a great deal for his self confidence. It might have even gone on to make him think that dating at this stage of his life was not a very appealing thing.

"You know, you never told me, how is it going with you and Dean?" Harry asked, trying to break the awkward silence between them.

"We broke up, Harry," Ginny said with a gentle shrug of her shoulders.

Harry looked surprised. "Oh, I'm sorry. What happened, if I may ask?"

Ginny sighed. "The short version, he was a jealous git who felt I was in love with somebody else… you."

Harry seemed flabbergasted at this. "But what gave him that impression? I don't understand… Do you want me to talk to him and tell him that's not true?"

Ginny looked at him, her soft brown eyes looking straight into his. "What if it was true, Harry?"

Harry gaped at her. "What?? What do… Do you… _You mean_…"

Ginny blushed fiercely but still continued to look right at him, her heart in her eyes. "Yes, Harry."

"But…but…but… Hermione told me… I thought you were over me," Harry said in bewilderment.

"I tried, Harry," Ginny said softly. "I tried so hard to get over you. I kept myself busy with my friends and school to try and forget you. But yet you were never really out of my thoughts. I went out with other boys hoping that it would help me get over you. But they aren't who I want to be with."

Ginny's face was red with embarrassment by this point and she looked away hurriedly.

Harry's mind felt like a whirlwind had just blown through it. He just didn't know how to take this revelation.

One part of him was screaming at him to ask her out. She was fun to be with, she had similar interests to him, was intelligent, an excellent fighter, and somewhere over the past few years she had become amazingly beautiful. When she had looked at him a moment ago he had seen such immense love for him in her eyes, so pure, so accepting. It had hit him hard and left him reeling. He hadn't felt that it was possible to have anybody love him that much.

But the other part of him was very afraid of getting involved with her. If he started dating her she would become a major target of Voldemort. Her name would probably be right below his and Dumbledore's on the Dark Lord's list. Was it right to put her in so much danger? What if something happened to her? Or if Voldemort captured her? Would he ever be able to look Ron or the Weasley's in the eye again? Would he ever forgive himself?

He had seen them all die in his dreams, saw them die every night. The only thing that kept him going was the fact that he could get up in the morning and see them safe and sound. If she were to die he didn't think he could take it.

No, he couldn't do this, not now. He couldn't be with her… _with anybody_.

"Ginny, you are very pretty and are such an amazing person," Harry said softly, not being able to look at her. "But I've never thought of you that way."

"Don't," Ginny said fiercely, tears shining in her eyes. "Don't say that you think of me as a sister. If you like someone else, or don't want to be with me, that's fine. But don't ever say that to me, Harry."

Harry put his face in his hands. He couldn't deal with this… not now.

Why couldn't something be easy for once? Why did it always have to be so difficult? He was probably the only sixteen year old who had to think twice about dating a pretty girl, because an insane Dark Wizard might kill her for being close to him. Why did he have to have the whole fucking world's burdens on his shoulders?

Harry savagely brought up all of his Occlumency shields and dropped his hands from his face. Slowly, he lifted his head up to look at Ginny, meeting her tear misted eyes with his cold and empty ones. "I don't love you, Ginny," he said in a harsh and ragged whisper. "I have never thought of you that way. Even though I know you want it to work out I don't think it can, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

He got up swiftly and walked out of the room. A moment later Ginny heard him bounding up the stairs and his room door opening and closing.

And then she sobbed. Sobbed for everything that she had lost… everything that could never be.

**OoOoOoO**

Ginny Weasley sat in an overstuffed armchair, seeming to be almost swallowed in its soft depths. Her face was pale and drawn and her normally bright eyes were dull and sparkless. She felt hollow and empty inside, and at the moment she wanted nothing more than to hide in a deep dark corner till the hurt went away. She could still see Harry's emotionless eyes as he told her in no uncertain terms that he didn't love her and never would. She had thought that he found her attractive, but he had dismissed her affections like they meant nothing. To her it seemed like a belittling of all her possibilities as a woman. Wasn't she good enough for him to even try to have a relationship with her?

Hermione, who was sitting opposite her, noticed her moroseness and shook her head sadly. She had woken up when Ginny had come back into the room last night, her eyes red with crying and a miserable look on her face. Ginny had thrown herself at her and started crying anew. It had taken a long time before she was able to piece what had happened from Ginny's broken words and sobs, and when she had she was stunned. It hadn't sounded like the Harry Potter she had known since her first day at Hogwarts at all!

She couldn't understand why Harry was behaving like this. She too had noticed Harry's appreciative glances at Ginny. So why would he refuse a relationship with her without even a single date?

What had happened to make him behave like this? How many more secrets was Harry hiding?

She glanced at him, noticing the expressionless look on his face and was even more intrigued. Harry had always been thick about feelings and emotions, though to be fair he was far better than Ron. But she had never known him to ever be cold and unfeeling. How could this not affect him at all?

Then it hit her like a ton of bricks.

_Occlumency!_

* * *

Harry sat quietly on the couch beside Ron, staring straight ahead. He could feel Hermione and Ron studying him intently but he ignored them both. Beneath his mask his emotions were raging inside him, boiling just below the surface. It took all of his skill in Occlumency to hide it.

He hated himself passionately. He knew he had hurt Ginny. He had noticed her red eyes at breakfast, noticed her crushed demeanor.

His heart felt raw with pain. Everything that had happened in the past few weeks since Hagrid had died had contributed towards breaking his spirit, little by little at a time. He would have preferred the Cruciatus curse, atleast the pain of that vanished with time. From this there was no escape, not for a single minute. The worry plagued him every second of every day.

The silence was shattered with a loud thump as four people appeared in the middle of the silent room.

Actually appeared was not exactly right, since the boys all landed awkwardly on their feet and fell down hard on the floor in a spectacular heap. Poor Sean had the misfortune of having both Alan and Jack landing on him, crushing him with their weight. But instead of getting up off him they just lay there with dazed looks on their faces.

Patricia, on the other hand, was standing upright, poised and unruffled. She had an amused twinkle in her eyes as she looked at the three ungainly figures lying by her feet.

Then her eyes flickered up and met Harry's. A huge smile broke out on her face, making it light up like a Christmas tree, and she literally threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. "Thank you, Harry. I don't know how to tell you what this means to me. Ever since I was a kid and heard about Hogwarts I wanted to go. I so desperately wished for a letter to come to me, even though I knew it wasn't possible. And now I can finally go. I can never thank you enough."

She then proceeded to kiss a stunned Harry on both cheeks.

Harry was a bit uncomfortable with her show of affection, especially since the episode with Ginny last night. But Pat was so happy, so excited, that he couldn't help but smile back at her.

* * *

Ginny watched quietly as Harry friends arrived. Her first look at Pat stunned her. The long, waist length black hair, the fluid grace in her form, her unusually pretty violet eyes… She hadn't expected her to be so beautiful! A wave of pure jealousy rushed through her as she saw her hug Harry and then kiss him, at that moment she wanted to tear the older girl to shreds.

But a lot of things were becoming a lot clearer to her. She now had an idea why Harry didn't like her that way. It was highly possible that he had fallen for Patricia. And she didn't blame him.

Pat _was_ very beautiful.

Ginny closed her eyes quickly, lest someone see the pain within. She couldn't blame Harry for this. He hadn't known about her feelings for him. As far as Harry had been concerned she had been over him and had been happily dating Dean. Why then could he not find someone to date? He had a right to his happiness too.

Harry had saved her life and had always been a good friend to her. Right now he needed a friend, not someone who dumped more emotional baggage on him. She would be that friend, even if it killed her to do it. She owed him that much.

She forced a bright smile on her face and went forward to meet his friends.

* * *

Sean groaned. "Gerrof me you two lumps!"

Pat and Harry moved forward to give them a hand up, grinning at the scowling Sean.

"You could have warned us," Sean told Pat accusingly.

"What? And miss all the fun?" Pat smirked.

Sean glared at her but it didn't take long for his glare to turn into a grin as his eyes fell on Harry.

"Hiya mate," he said walking forward and enveloping Harry in a one armed hug.

"Hi Sean," Harry said with a smile as he returned the hug. "It's good to have you guys here."

He turned to where Ron, Hermione and Ginny were standing, waiting for him to introduce them to his muggle friends. "This is Sean Hazelton. He was my Aikido partner back at Privet Drive. And these three here," he said pointing to where Pat, Jack and Alan were standing. "Are Jack McKnight, Alan Smith and Patricia Marchbanks. You guys, meet my friends, Hermione Granger, Ron and Ginny Weasley."

Greetings were exchanged and soon they were all chatting away nineteen to the dozen.

* * *

"Hello," Hermione said warmly, shaking Pat's hand. "Harry told us a lot about you. Mentioned that you are a master at Aikido."

Pat shrugged. "Oh no, I'm barely a beginner. There are people who have been studying it for decades and they still haven't learnt all of it. It's just something I enjoy."

"Oh? Well, anyway, you are still better than I will ever be at it. I am an absolute dunce at any kind of sports or physical activity," Hermione said honestly.

"Oh, don't say that. I'm sure you haven't even tried half of them," Pat said with a shake of her head. "Anybody can excel if they put enough effort into it. And from what I hear, you make up for all of it in the brains department. Harry keeps saying that you are the smartest witch he has ever met. To be honest, I would be very grateful if you could give me a few pointers to help prepare for the Muggle Studies OWL."

Hermione beamed. "Of course I'll help. And now that you are going to Hogwarts you might want to read _Hogwarts, a History_. I'll lend you my copy. It will help you blend in easier once you are there."

Pat smiled back. "I've already read it. Fantastic book. Everybody who attends Hogwarts should read it atleast once."

With that statement Pat made a friend for life of Hermione.

* * *

While Hermione and Pat were talking, Ron was getting acquainted with Alan.

"Hi, I hear you're a very good chess player," Ron said eagerly.

Alan shook his head. "I wouldn't say I'm all that good. I've only entered a few local tournaments and out of them won only one. I don't think I'll ever make a grandmaster."

Ron looked highly confused. "Tournaments? Grandmaster?"

Alan laughed. "Well, there are chess tournaments held in nearly every school. The winners of each local school in the district go on to play against each other in inter school tournaments. The winners of that then get to play at a National level. And if you are good enough you might get a chance to play on an International level against the best players in the world. The top International players get the title of grandmaster."

Ron's eyes shone. "That sounds really neat."

"Oh yes, it is. Some of the matches I have seen are amazing. They play at an entirely different level than you or me," Alan said enthusiastically.

"This is great," Ron said eagerly. "We must play soon. I haven't had a good game in ages."

Alan nodded sadly and pointed towards Sean and Jack, who were busy talking with Harry and Ginny. "These two lumps will never play against me. Not that they are any good, mind you. But it's nice to have _somebody_ to play with."

Sean heard that and turned around indignantly. "Of course we don't play with you. What's the point? The last time I played you it was over in seven moves. _Seven!_ I don't like to waste my time, thank you very much."

Everybody burst out laughing at that and a lot of the gloom that had been in the air disappeared.

Harry noticed the luggage that Pat and the boys had brought along and softly called for Dobby.

There was a loud pop and Dobby appeared before them, startling Sean, Alan and Jack greatly. They still hadn't gotten used to people vanishing and appearing around them.

"Is Harry Potter calling Dobby?"

"Yes, Dobby, can you take the luggage up to their rooms and bring us some Pumpkin juice and sandwiches up in ten minutes?"

"Dobby will do it right away, Harry Potter," the tiny house elf said happily, vanishing with the luggage a second later.

"Come on, let me show you to your rooms," Harry said motioning towards the stairs.

Jack, who had been having a look at the room, whistled appreciatively. "Nice place you got here, Harry."

Harry snorted. "You should have seen it a year ago. Looked like something right out of a horror film. It's all Dobby and Winky's doing that it looks like this."

The room really _did_ look totally different.

The walls had been stripped bare of multiple layers of paint. Dobby and Winky had then re-plastered all the walls and done the room up in a lovely golden cream colour.

The sofas had all been reupholstered in a deep red velvet, giving a vivid contrast to the walls.

The serpent fixtures, dark tapestries and paintings that had once dominated the creepy room had all been removed and gotten rid of. The walls now held a series of seven magnificent paintings of a phoenix that completed the room.

There were two particular ones that _really_ stood out. One was of a Phoenix in flight, the gorgeous red and gold plumage contrasting wonderfully against the deep blue sky. The second was of a phoenix chick rising out of the ashes, reborn.

Harry didn't know where the paintings had come from, but he promised himself to ask Dobby as soon as he got the chance.

All in all, it looked like a totally different room.

Harry quickly took them up to show them their rooms. The three boys were sharing a large bedroom and Pat was bunking down with Ginny and Hermione in their room. Dobby had already taken the luggage up and Winky had even gone ahead and unpacked for them.

Ten minutes later they were all sitting in Harry's bedroom, munching on sandwiches and drinking Pumpkin juice.

Sean and Jack were talking to Ginny and eagerly asking questions about the magical world. Ginny was smiling at their enthusiasm and answering all their questions.

Alan and Ron were sitting in a corner, where Alan was patiently explaining to Ron what a computer was, what the internet was and finally the wonders of online chess rooms. He was also telling him about all the great matches he had watched on Television. Which, of course, led to him having to explain to Ron what the Television was and how it worked.

Harry was sitting with Pat and listening to Hermione excitedly talk about the study schedule that she was planning out for him and Pat.

Inside he felt like a seething cauldron of emotions. He couldn't seem to get distracted by the pleasant chatter and his happy friends.

All he could think about was some way to keep them safe… some way…

**OoOoOoO**


	19. The Calm Before the Storm

**DISCLAIMER:** No I don't own Harry Potter. I just write fanfics for fun and make absolutely no money out of it. It all belongs to the great J. K. Rowling.

**OoOoOoO**

**The Calm Before the Storm**

**OoOoOoO**

It was a little after dinner, and the inhabitants of Number 12 Grimmauld Place were gathered in the hall to watch a highly interesting game of chess: Ron was playing Alan.

Both were highly skilled players, and they were very well matched. When two players of such caliber played against each other, the game was taken to a new level altogether.

It was a treat to watch the game unfold, the two players thinking ten moves ahead, slyly setting traps, sacrificing pieces in order to get an advantage later on in the game. To some, like Molly and Tonks, the game didn't seem very different than the thousands of others they had seen, and they were quickly bored.

Remus, Arthur, Ginny and Bill, however, who were all chess enthusiasts and had played Ron quite often, found the game to be a treat. It was a challenge to be able to spot the traps, to try and guess what the two players were up to and to see the rapid moves made by them.

Chess was a game of the mind and for you to master it you had to have a great deal of focus, clarity of thought and a certain amount of ruthlessness. It was the mind operating at its peak and it was a glorious thing to see.

They had very different playing styles. Ron relied more on his own instinct and experience. His main forte was defense, though he had the ability to put up a strong offense when called upon.

Alan, on the other hand, was more of an offensive player. He had a lot of knowledge about chess and had watched hundreds of the great chess games and players in action. He had read a lot of books on the game and knew a lot of highly spectacular plays. His style was very adaptable due to all his knowledge.

The game was almost halfway through and both were in a sort of stalemate. Each had lost a number of pieces and the game just got more and more complicated as it proceeded. The table they were playing on was littered with half broken pieces that would revert back to normal once the game was complete.

At first Alan was more than a little excited and awestruck at seeing the animated pieces. But he soon realized that they were more a hindrance than help.

They started out by shouting all kinds of advice at him, contradicting each other. Alan, being the experienced chess player that he was, noticed that most of the advice would actually harm him than do him good. This caused him to become very confused. On one hand was his years of experience in playing chess… on the other were these magical chess pieces who probably knew what they were talking about. Fortunately, Ginny took pity on him and told him to ignore the pieces and play his own game. It became much easier from there onwards.

Harry and Hermione sat a little distance away in a corner of the room, well away from the excitement of the game, as she coached him in the basics of advanced Arithmancy.

He was amazed how simple she made the whole subject seem and he finally began to understand Arithmancy a lot more clearly. What surprised him most about it was that it was the very same thing he was tearing his hair out trying to understand a few days ago and failing spectacularly.

She had a way of getting to the root of the problem extremely fast, discarding the unnecessary and finding the mistakes with a brief glance. He had shown her the problems he had been working on and where he was stuck, and she had immediately seen where the problem lay. Apparently, he had been applying the formulas incorrectly and that's why the equations were always coming out wrong. She had also pointed out that he used far too many unnecessary steps in solving the problem and had shown him a way that would require half the amount of steps.

She then proceeded to drill him thoroughly in all the formulas till he understood them perfectly.

Harry mused that if there was even a slight chance that he might pass the Arithmancy OWL exam, it had only been made possible because of Hermione. He was extremely grateful for having the bushy-haired genius as one of his friends.

He knew that teaching had never come easily to her. She had such a quick mind that it was sometimes frustrating for her to realize that others could not see things as clearly and quickly as she could. Over the five years helping him and Ron with their studies, she had managed to curb her impatience, but sometimes it still surfaced.

Pat sat nearby making notes in her long flowing handwriting, the Muggle Studies textbook open before her. Most of the coursework was extremely easy for her but occasionally she would turn to Hermione for help with some problem or the other.

Suddenly, Harry was distracted by the sound of muffled laughter and whirled around to peer in the direction it came from. He noticed that Sean, Jack and the twins were sitting in another corner of the room far away from everyone else and talking in low voices. He shook his head and grinned. Getting those four together meant a lot of trouble for everybody. All four were pranksters at heart and troublemakers of the first order.

It seemed that he wasn't very wrong in his estimation.

Sean and Jack were busy swapping stories with the twins about the pranks they had pulled. Back in Stonewall High, they had done their share of terrorizing hapless teachers.

"We had this really nasty literature teacher once... name of Harold Hemmingway... got on my nerves," Sean said slowly. "You remember him, Jack?"

Jack nodded. "Horsy faced, wore those horrible tweed suits and had that disgusting habit of spitting while he spoke."

"Yep, that's the one. He had this real mean streak... liked humiliating people, you know? Like he would make the person who wrote the worst essay publicly read it in front of the class, always seemed to take a savage pleasure in failing people. Nearly failed us a couple of times, too," Sean said, a frown flitting across his face.

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "One day he went on for half an hour about how stupid a girl was for writing a substandard essay. It wasn't really her fault either, her mother was sick and she was taking care of her… didn't have time to write anything till the last minute. By the end of it, she was so humiliated that she started crying."

Sean grinned. "We got him real good though. Put a copy of Playboy in his office and hid nearby with a camera and a decent zoom lens. When he picked it up, we managed to get a few shots off that he had a very hard time explaining away."

Jack sniggered. "He was nicknamed 'Dirty Harry' and left soon after that."

The talk drifted to other topics and soon they were discussing their love lives... or the lack thereof.

"Girls! Pah! I'll be damned if I can figure them out," Sean said bitterly.

"You and the rest of us," George said sympathetically. "They tend to get awfully moody."

"Yeah," Fred said with a fearful glance at Ginny. "Especially during _certain_ times of the month."

"Well, you _did_ act a bit stupidly, mate," Jack pointed out.

"I did not! It was a reasonable question," Sean grumbled.

Jack shrugged. "Suit yourself."

"What happened?" Fred asked, leaning forward interestedly.

Jack grinned. "Well, this girl, Meg, agreed to go on a date with him and when he arrived to pick her up she wasn't ready yet. So he's waiting for her… and waiting is something that Sean isn't very good at…"

"She took a bloody hour!" Sean said hotly.

"Yeah, well, she comes down and Mr. Eloquence here goes and asks her why the hell she took so long to dress up for a movie where its going to be dark and nobody can see her anyway. What happened next you can guess…"

Fred and George joined Jack in snickering at poor Sean, and he gave them a dark look.

"So, isn't there some sort of hocus pocus magical stuff to make girls fall for you?" he asked irritably.

The looks the twins suddenly shot at each other made Sean and Jack sit up straighter, expectant grins on their faces.

_Five minutes later... _

"So... you're saying a few drops of this and any girl will fall in love with you?" Sean asked excitedly, fingering a vial of purple potion like it was the elixir of life.

"No. While you do get potions which do that, they are highly illegal," Fred explained. "We can't very well sell them in the shop, so we came up with our own little version."

"Yep, what this does is enhance any feelings the person who you are wooing has for you and makes them a tad more _friendly_," George said, winking.

"You guys are geniuses!" Jack said with a huge grin on his face.

"Why, thank you," Fred said buffing his nails carelessly on his dragonhide jacket.

"We try our best," George finished modestly.

Sean and Jack didn't respond. They were too busy plotting how they would use the marvelous potion on a number of girls in Stonewall High.

"Guys," Fred said slowly, his voice suddenly serious. "Be careful with that potion. If you get caught with it, it's all our necks."

"Yeah, I'm not saying don't use it… but in your world it becomes a whole different ballgame. Using it for pranking might not be such a good idea," George joined in.

Sean nodded. "We know… using it on somebody who doesn't like us would come too close to rape for us to be comfortable doing it. Don't worry; we will be careful."

Fred grinned. "Ok, then, lets see what else we have to show you…"

"Do you think they'd be interested in seeing the Weasley Blaster?" George asked thoughtfully.

"A truly splendid idea, brother mine!"

"The Weasley blaster?" Jack asked uneasily, afraid that they were going to be shown some sort of gun.

"It's the music system we developed for Ickle Harrykins," George explained.

Sean looked highly excited at this as he had a great love for music. He wasn't disappointed. The system was something from his wildest dreams. No Muggle music system available even came close to the sound quality. The added functions like the sound bubble and ability to run without electricity thrilled him even more. He could just imagine being able to listen to music however loud he wanted at any hour. It would be sheer bliss.

"Guys, how much would something like this cost?" he asked slowly, the longing shining through his eyes.

The twins looked at each other and did a few quick calculations. "Hmm… well… I'd say about two thousand pounds," Fred said slowly.

"Yeah, it cost a lot more to make the first time since we ruined several music systems trying to figure out how they worked," George explained.

"Two thousand pounds," Jack said in astonishment. "That's a lot. Guys… I don't think most people would be able to afford it."

"Yeah…" George said slowly. "It's the Muggle parts that are so expensive."

"Where did you buy them from?" Sean asked curiously.

"Some shop on New Bond Street," Fred replied.

Sean stared at him. "New Bond Street? But that's one of the most overpriced places to shop!"

"Guys… just what system was it that you bought?" Jack asked suddenly. The shape of the music system seemed faintly familiar even though it was changed so much it was almost impossible to tell.

When George named the company which made the music system Jack slapped his head in frustration. "You guys went to one of the most exclusive shops in London and bought the most overpriced system they had. No wonder it cost you so much!"

Fred and George looked at each other, highly irritated with themselves. It seemed that they had spent a lot of money quite irresponsibly. It didn't matter if they didn't know the Muggle world that well or that they had known next to nothing about Muggle music systems. Money wasted was money wasted.

"Next time you guys want to buy a music system, you come to us," Sean said. "We'll take you to a few places where you'll get them at discounted prices. Hell… you can buy parts second hand… sometimes people just use their music systems for six months and then buy a new one… they are hardly used. You can get a great deal if you get lucky."

The twins grinned. "We will definitely take you up on that," Fred promised.

"Yeah, if we can get the Muggle equipment more cheaply, then we can probably reduce the cost to make it," George said excitedly.

"Hmm… tell you what… why don't we go out one of these days into London and we can show you the shops we visit," Sean offered.

"Sounds good to us," George said with a huge grin.

"In return, we'd be happy to show you Diagon Alley and if we can slip away from Mum, a few more _exciting_ places," Fred said with a wink.

Sean and Jack grinned. They already loved the magical world.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry got up from his desk after a few hours of intense Arithmancy revision and stretched, trying to work the stiffness out of his body. A few twinges from his injuries still niggled him, but he ignored the pain.

He quickly changed into a pair of shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt and slipped out of his room, making his way downstairs silently.

He missed going for his morning runs and had decided that he would go for one today. He couldn't afford to let his stamina decrease because of lack of exercise.

Apparently, he had not been silent enough, because he heard soft footsteps following him downstairs.

"Morning, Harry," Pat whispered, appearing next to him. "I knew that you might get up early to exercise and I thought I would join you, if that's ok."

"Of course it's ok," Harry whispered back. "Let's go."

They were just about to make for the door when three more sets of footsteps came from the stairs as Sean, Jack and Alan bounded down.

"Oi, wait for us," Sean said in a low tone, causing them to halt. "Some friends you are, going off without us. It's a good thing we always wake up early and heard you two moving about."

"Sorry, mate," Harry said good naturedly. "I didn't know if you guys wanted to come or have a lie-in."

"Nah," Sean said grumpily. "The past week, ever since you left to come here, we haven't been allowed to move out of the house much, as they were still putting up some sort of wards to protect us. Now that we can go out, there's no way I want to stay in bed."

Harry nodded and moved to open the door.

A light pair of footsteps from behind alerted him that someone else was awake. Harry sighed in frustration and wondered whether he had succeeded in waking up the _whole_ house.

A slim figure dressed in a pair of tight track pants and training bra stood at the foot of the steps, eyeing them hesitantly.

"Do you think I could join you guys?" she asked softly.

"Of course, Ginny," Pat said cheerfully. "You don't need to ask."

Harry had barely taken a glance at her when he looked away. She was the last person he wanted to see right now, especially dressed as she was.

_Merlin, she looked hot!_

He never saw the hurt look in her eyes as she noticed him turn away, and she almost turned back to go up, but some stubborn part of her rebelled. She had decided the day Harry came back injured that she would take his example and get her body fitter and learn how to duel. Next time somebody attacked him, she had no intention of letting him fight alone. To do this, she needed to be able to take care of herself as she didn't want to be a liability to him in a fight.

"Shall we go?" she said coldly, trying to mask her hurt.

Harry wordlessly opened the door and led them outside.

The air was cool and crisp outside and the sun was yet to rise. The teenagers at first set a brisk pace with which Ginny had trouble keeping up. Harry noticed this and slowed the pace down so she could keep up with them.

Truth be told, his injuries had left him less that fully fit and he didn't want to push himself too hard either.

Unnoticed by him, he suddenly found himself running alongside the fiery redhead.

The sun was just starting to rise, turning the sky into a multitude of blues, oranges and pinks. He looked sideways at her and his breath nearly caught in his throat at her beauty. Her face was flushed with the effort she was expending and her long hair, which was tied back into a ponytail, was bobbing up and down behind her. Her delicate neck was exposed and sweat ran down the side and down into the valley between her breasts. For some reason, he wasn't able to stop staring at her bare midriff as it flexed with the motions of her body.

He tore his eyes away before she caught him staring and concentrated on running. This was unbearably hard, and he couldn't help but sneak peeks at her occasionally. Stupid hormones!

Harry was very thankful when they finally returned to Grimmauld Place at the end of their run. He thought he would go crazy if he was in her presence a minute longer. Somehow, Ginny Weasley had managed to get under his skin and had begun to fascinate him in endless ways. It wasn't something he was too thrilled about, especially after he had clearly told her that he was not interested in her and that a relationship could never happen.

He then overheard a conversation that made it apparent that his torture wasn't over yet.

"Your stamina is really good, Ginny," Pat said with a warm smile. "Have you gone running before this?"

Ginny shook her head, panting lightly as she tried to regain her breath.

"That's great!" Patricia exclaimed.

"Thanks," Ginny said with a small smile that made her face light up. She looked at Pat as if she wanted to say something and hesitated. "Listen…"

"Yes?" Pat said encouragingly.

"Do you think you could give me a few pointers in self defense?" Ginny asked quickly.

Pat grinned. "I'll do better than that. While I'm not really that good compared to Sensei Greene, I reckon I can teach you the basics quite well."

"Sensei Greene?" Ginny asked curiously.

"He's the person who teaches us Aikido back home," Pat explained. "Anybody who teaches you the art is given respect by being called Master or 'Sensei'."

"Do I need to call you Sensei Pat, then?" Ginny asked impishly.

Pat burst out laughing. "Heavens no!"

A few minutes later they were all gathered into a large room that Dobby had converted into a gym and began practicing.

Harry found he was more than a little distracted as Patricia began teaching Ginny how to fall without getting hurt. This was quite dangerous; Sean took full advantage of his lapse in concentration, leaving him with a number of bruises. Finally, he had to use his Occlumency to be able to concentrate.

All in all, Harry Potter was _not_ a happy camper.

**OoOoOoO**

Ron and Hermione came down just as they were finishing their Aikido practice for the day.

"Morning, sleepyheads," Ginny called out.

"You guys are insane," Ron said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"It's amazing how quickly you get used to waking up early once you make a habit of it, Ron," Alan said with a grin.

"Yeah, but why can't you do all this at a more reasonable hour?" Ron protested.

"Several reasons," Pat said counting them off on her fingers. "First, the morning air is invigorating and you finish exercising before the sun rises, thus escaping the heat. Second, almost everybody has either school or work, so you can't do it later. Third, you can't exercise after eating or you'll get cramps."

"Ok, ok, I get the idea," Ron said, holding his hands up in defeat.

Molly's voice drifted up just then, calling everybody down for breakfast. Ron was suddenly lost to them as he quickly headed towards the kitchen like a salamander attracted to flame.

Hermione shook her head wearily at her boyfriend's behavior. "You'd think he was starved all his life, the way he reacts to food."

Ron apparently hadn't gone very far, and he poked his head back into the room. "Oi! I'm a growing boy. I need to eat, and breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"The only growing _you'll_ be doing is sideways," Ginny snorted.

"Yeah, and if I remember correctly, this is your reaction for _all _the meals," Harry teased, a large grin on his face.

Ron made a face. "What is this? Pick on Ron day?"

Ginny looked thoughtful. "That wouldn't be a _totally_ bad idea."

Ron opened his mouth to retort and then thought better of it and walked back towards the kitchen, only stopping briefly to look over his shoulder. "You guys coming to breakfast or what?"

Harry looked at the others and shrugged. "I dunno about you guys, but I'd prefer a shower first."

All of them nodded. The run and practice had been hot, sweaty work and a shower sounded very nice.

"You guys hurry down, then," Hermione said with a smile. "In the mean time I'll try and see if I can keep Ron from eating everything."

"There's an easy solution to that Hermione," Ginny said wickedly. "Just remind him _again_ that there are better uses for his mouth then to stuff it full of food."

Hermione went red and swatted Ginny. "Oh, you!"

Ginny skipped away nimbly and headed to her room to shower, followed by the rest of them, who were still snickering at her comment.

Soon all of them began trickling down to the kitchen and started working on large plates of scrambled eggs, sausages, toast and goblets of iced pumpkin juice.

Molly Weasley bustled around the kitchen, making sure that all plates were refilled faster than they could polish them off.

She had been waging a continuous war with Dobby and Winky, who didn't allow her to help at all. The lack of work was alien to her and she had quickly gotten very irritated with the house-elves, and they with her. Finally, both parties had agreed to come to an agreement of sorts: Molly would be allowed to cook the breakfast and dinner as long as she left the lunch to the house-elves and didn't so much as lift a finger to clean anything.

This had still left her with a lot of free time and so she had taken to knitting sweaters and quilts with a vengeance.

"Ok, listen you lot," Molly said reluctantly. "Dumbledore thinks it might be a good idea to let you go to Diagon Alley today to finish your shopping."

She had at first refused to let them to go, thinking it to be too dangerous, but Dumbledore had overruled her. He knew too well the consequences of caging people up. The kids deserved an outing and he knew that Harry would like his Muggle friends to see Diagon Alley.

Harry and the others looked up excitedly.

"There are, however, a few rules," Molly continued before they could say a word. "Remus, Tonks, Alastor and Kingsley will be accompanying you and you will stay with them at all times. If any of you is caught sneaking away from them, your trip ends there. Do I make myself clear?" At this point she glanced at Fred and George, who had joined them a few minutes ago.

"We wouldn't dream of straying away," Fred said a bit too innocently.

"Yeah, and there are a lot more interesting things to dream of anyway," George added under his breath.

"What was that?" Molly said dangerously, turning around to glare at George.

"Nothing, Mum," Fred said with a quick smile. "He was just commenting on how pretty you look today."

"Oh yeah, very pretty, radiant even," George agreed.

Molly snorted. "You used to try that one way back before you started Hogwarts. What makes you think it will work now, when it didn't then?"

Suddenly somebody pressed a small kiss on her cheek. "You _do_ look very pretty today," Harry whispered in her ear.

With all the free time she now had due to the house-elves and the extra money Harry had given them, she had finally been able to take out a bit of personal time for herself. She had taken the time to go buy a new set of robes and get a decent haircut, and it had felt like blissful luxury.

She beamed at Harry and ruffled his hair lovingly, forgetting all about her wayward sons.

Harry winked at the twins as he got up to put his plate into the sink, and they gazed back at him in awe.

Ginny watched the whole scene in part amusement, part sadness. Harry was so great with her mother. He could make her melt with just a few words. He was the only person who could literally get away with murder in front of Molly Weasley.

Hermione, who was sitting by Ginny's side, was hiding a big grin. She couldn't believe how sneaky Harry had become of late. Somehow, he had leant exactly what he needed to do or say to get what he wanted.

Several minutes later they found themselves sitting impatiently in the hall, waiting for Kingsley and Mad Eye to arrive so that they could leave.

Tonks and Remus were already there and were sitting in a corner chatting. Harry was watching them closely. He had a feeling that there was something fishy going on between Moony and Tonks of late. Usually Tonks was clumsy enough, but she seemed to become even clumsier around Remus. She also seemed to be blushing an awful lot at the moment. Harry couldn't help but be pleased. Remus deserved a bit of happiness; his life had been far from easy.

He looked down at his watch to see what time it was and wondered what was keeping Moody and Kingsley. It was not like them to be late. As he was glancing at his watch, he realized with a start that he had not made use of one of its very main functions.

He reached over and quickly pulled a hair from Ron's head, causing the startled redhead to yell in pain and temporarily stop ogling a certain bushy-haired witch.

"Why'd you do that for?" Ron asked Harry angrily.

"Needed your hair," Harry answered absently, as he put the hair on top of the face of the watch and pressed one of the silver buttons. A light blue light surrounded his wrist for a second and then the hair disappeared into the watch. A second later a hand appeared for Ron indicating that he was at 'Headquarters'.

Harry turned to Hermione and Ginny. "Give me one strand of your hair Hermione. You too, Gin."

"Oh, _them_ you ask," Ron said huffily.

Harry grinned. "I'm not quite suicidal enough to try and pull their hair."

"Smart boy," Ginny murmured under her breath.

She and Hermione handed him a couple of strands of their hair and he quickly added them.

He then added Fred, George and Pat in quick order and was about to add the others when he realized that he had run out of hands.

Harry sighed in dismay. "Remind me to stop at the jewelry shop to get more hands added."

The floo suddenly lit up and there was a flash of green followed by Kingsley stepping out of the fireplace. He was followed a second later by Moody.

"What kept you two?" Tonks asked curiously.

"Meeting with Amelia dragged on a bit too long," Moody growled. "Is everyone ready?"

They were _more_ than ready, and Remus and Tonks flooed ahead to the Leaky Cauldron to wait while Mad-Eye gave them his normal lecture of CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

Finally, they stepped up to the fireplace one by one, grabbed a pinch of floo powder, and began their journey to the heart of the magical community.

**OoOoOoO**

Sean, Jack and Alan looked around in awe. It seemed like every fairy tale they had ever heard was coming alive in front of them.

Harry walked with them, pointing out the shops and what they sold, and answering any questions they had…and it seemed like they were literally _bursting_ with questions. Not that he could blame them, he had been the same way when Hagrid had first brought him here as an eleven-year-old.

Thinking of Hagrid immediately brought up bad memories, and Harry quickly took his mind off that route of thinking.

They decided to head to Gringotts first to withdraw money, and in Hermione's case, exchange Muggle money to wizarding currency. Fred and George left them there and headed off to their shop, where the others would meet them when they came to visit.

Harry explained the wizarding currency to the three boys as they walked towards the imposing entrance to Gringotts and told them what little he knew about the bank's history.

"What in the blue blazes is _that?_" Sean asked in astonishment.

"Erm… that would be a goblin," Harry said in amusement as he gently pulled Sean's hand down.

"A goblin?" Jack repeated dumbly. "They exist too?"

"Yes, they run Gringotts," Harry explained as he steered his friends past the surly goblin guard who looked like he didn't much appreciate being stared and pointed at.

Harry could sympathize with him.

Alan stopped before the solid silver gates and ran his hands over the inscription on it. "Friendly, aren't they?" he said wryly.

Harry shrugged. "It's just to show that they mean business. You play nice, they play nice. If you try and steal from them, then you pay the consequences."

They entered the bank to see Bill Weasley hurrying towards them. "Hi guys, I just got off the floo with Mum. She told me to get some money out of the vault for you guys to buy your school things."

He turned to Ginny. "Ok, Gin-Gin, Mum told me to inform you that you could either choose a pet or a broom as a reward for being made prefect. What do you want?"

Ginny didn't hesitate even a second. "A broom!"

Bill grinned. "I thought you'd say that."

Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Pat decided to head to Madam Malkin's to buy their robes while Harry visited his own vault. He didn't need to buy new robes since he had already bought them on his previous trip.

Soon Harry, Sean, Jack and Alan were speeding underground in a cart at a breathtaking speed. The boys found the ride to be a huge thrill and were whooping with excitement the entire way down.

To say they were surprised when they saw Harry's vault was a big understatement. They had never imagined he could possibly be that rich.

"Wow, Harry, did you rob Fort Knox or what?" Jack whistled.

Harry just shrugged uncomfortably and quickly shoved money into a bag. He always felt horribly embarrassed by his inheritance.

His three friends were amazed by how lightly he took his wealth. It again showed them what sort of a person Harry really was. No normal sixteen-year-old would have been able to resist flaunting this much money.

The ride back up was much slower, but they seemed to enjoy it nonetheless. When they reached Madam Malkin's, the others had just finished their shopping.

Hermione immediately insisted on going to Flourish and Blotts to purchase their books, but this wasn't met with too much enthusiasm from the others. None of them wanted to lug the heavy books everywhere.

Hermione reluctantly agreed and they headed off to the Apothecary to pick up their potions ingredients.

The boys at first were none too fascinated by this particular shop. Beetle eyes and raw dragon liver didn't make for very good viewing, not to mention the awful smell, but when Hermione started telling them what the ingredients were and what potions they could be used in, they started showing a much greater interest. Both Sean and Jack excelled in science, Chemistry being their favorite subject (though Pat often joked this was because they could experiment with dangerous chemicals). Potions seemed remarkably similar to Chemistry to them, and they listened raptly.

Next, they headed to Quality Quidditch Supplies, where the boys and Ginny went wild. Ron and Harry, Quidditch fanatics that they were, had explained the game to Alan, Sean and Jack in great detail. They fawned over the new brooms and equipment while Ginny chose her new broom.

After a lot of thought, discussion and endless consultation with Ron, she finally settled on a Comet 1000, a new broom that was just slightly slower than the Nimbus 2001.

By this point, Hermione was ready to explode with impatience. The others didn't think it wise to keep her away from her books any longer.

She happily led the way to Flourish and Blotts Harry and Remus slipped away to Bowden Jewellers to buy more hands for his watch, since he had already brought his books earlier.

Ron, Pat and the others watched in amazement as Hermione quickly went through her book list and picked up all the required texts and a dozen more books for cross-referencing. After that, she headed to the law section and picked up several books on magical law. She was determined to learn all about the laws governing the magical population of Britain so she could go about getting the house-elves their rights in the proper way.

She was looking at a book on Muggle self-defense when Pat finally decided to intervene and took it from her hands to put it back on the shelf. "Some things can't be learnt from books, Hermione," she said gently.

Hermione looked like she was going to object at first and then she nodded. "I suppose you're right."

Finally, only Fred and George's shop was left to visit, and this was what all of them had been looking forward the most.

The shop was visible from a long way off. It was painted a bright orange and lime green and large, flashing neon letters loudly proclaimed 'Welcome to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.'

The display window looked to be a chaotic mess of colourful products and catchy advertisements. Several Weasley Whiz Bangs flew around in another display case and every time two of them met there would be a small explosion and they would multiply into four. A suspicious looking yellow mist was drifting around the door.

Sean and Jack gleefully waltzed in, oblivious to the danger the mist posed and Harry's repeated warnings. They soon regretted it, however.

The mist touched their heads and both of them gave surprised yells. A large flash of light surrounded them, effectively hiding them from view. When the light finally cleared, Harry and the others looked at the two hapless victims and burst into laughter.

Sean and Jack were dressed in tight leather outfits, several studs in their ears and eyebrows. Their hair was changed into identical purple Mohawks.

For a long moment they stared at themselves in horror and glared at the twins, who had by then come out from behind the counter and were snickering at their plight.

Sean finally commented, "You know, this doesn't look half bad."

"Yep," Jack agreed with a large grin.

The twins took them around on a tour of their shop, and Harry was more than a little impressed at the twins' inventing abilities. The pranks ranged from the silly and wacky to the downright evil and ingenious. He was very happy that he had taken the initiative to help them out and had a firm belief that he had made a very wise investment. Even Hermione ended up buying a few things from the shop and all of them left in high spirits.

As they ended the day with large sundaes from Florean Fortescue's, they all thought the day couldn't have been more perfect.

**OoOoOoO**


	20. Interlude 03

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (Interlude 03)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - to find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** No I don't own Harry Potter. I just write fanfics for fun and make absolutely no money out of it. It all belongs to the great JK Rowling.

**Thanks, as always to Trish. I don't think I would enjoy writing TDH without you.**

**OoOoOoO**

**Interlude 03**

**OoOoOoO**

The street was quiet; only the sounds of the night could be heard. It was almost pitch dark, owing to it being a moonless night, and the only light came from the few lit lampposts running the length of the street. All the law-abiding citizens living on the prim and proper street were fast asleep in their beds.

The clock struck midnight and an owl hooted mournfully from the tree bordering house Number Four, causing a fat man to mumble irritably in his sleep, "Ruddy owls!"

Suddenly, there was a soft set of pops heard outside and a large group of people appeared almost out of thin air.

One of the group removed a strange, lighter-like device from within his shabby coat and clicked on it. The globe of light from the lamppost closest to him went dark. He clicked it several more times until all the lights were extinguished, leaving him and his companions in total darkness.

Light suddenly blazed from several lit wand tips, but only enough for them to be able to see. Three of the group silently separated from the others, rapidly casting complicated wards and charms to hide their presence. When it was done, they rapidly moved towards the entrance to Number 4, Privet Drive.

The first moment Vernon Dursley realized that something was wrong was when his bedroom door flew open. He moved to switch on the bedside lamp, a bellow of half rage, half fear escaping from his throat. Before he could so much as move his hand, however, he saw a flash of light quickly heading towards him. He lost all consciousness after that.

When he woke, he saw that he was sitting inside a large pentagram which was drawn in blood on the floor of his living room. Various markings surrounded the pentagram which, had he been magical, he would have recognized as runes. He glanced sideways and saw that his wife and son were sitting by his side, not yet awake.

He then noticed a tall red headed man tapping his wand on Petunia and Dudley, and he suddenly understood._ 'It was those freaks, those red-headed freaks who were friends of his good-for-nothing nephew!'_

"What is the meaning of this outrage?" he yelled, trying to get up to his feet and realizing suddenly that his neck was the only part of his body he could move. He felt a spell hit him from the side, and he suddenly found that all further sound died in his throat.

He glared at the nine people gathered around the room, his mean little eyes flashing with righteous anger. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Petunia and Dudley waking up and looking around in fear.

"What… what are you doing?" Petunia croaked. "The old man told us we would be left alone if we took care of the boy."

"Well, you _didn't_ take care of him," Molly Weasley said angrily. "What is coming to you is no more than you deserve."

"What did that freak tell you?" Petunia screeched. "The ungrateful monster… after _all_ we did for him!"

Ginny was there in a flash, her cheeks flushed in rage. She was ready to rip the offensive women apart, but was stopped by a pair of strong arms around her. "No, Gin," Bill whispered. "They will be punished for their crimes, but not by you, not like this."

Ginny struggled with her anger for a long moment and then slowly nodded.

"The person you are calling a 'freak' is someone you aren't fit to be in the presence of," Remus said in a cold, biting voice, his anger barely controlled. "All you needed to do was be civil to him, to give him food to eat and a kind word once in a while. You couldn't even do _that_. You know what the tragedy is? He would still come to save your lives even after what you have done to him. If you were entrusted to look after _such_ a child and yet you mistreated him, who then is the monster? The freak?"

"I knew I should have thrown him in an orphanage the moment I saw him,' Petunia spat in anger, her face distorted with hate.

"You would have done him a great service if you had," Arthur Weasley said sadly. He turned to Bill. "Let's get on with it; we haven't much time."

Bill nodded. "Everybody take your places. You know what to do. Under no circumstances will you move from your positions once we start."

Ginny, Molly, Arthur, Remus, Tonks, Charlie and the twins took their positions in individual pentagrams that surrounded the one the Dursleys were in. They each took a dagger from inside their robes and stood at attention, waiting for Bill to give the signal.

"Muuuum, what are they doing?" Dudley squeaked in a terrified voice.

"Are you going to kill us?" Petunia asked shakily, fear creeping into her voice.

"We are not murderers," Bill said sharply, "and we aren't going to do _anything_ to you. Your black hearts and your misdeeds will be responsible for your fate."

With that, Bill walked over to take his place in his pentacle. He looked around carefully to see whether he had gotten everything right, ignoring the fearful whimpers from Dudley and Petunia's angry screams to let them go and get out of her house. Vernon, on the other hand, had gone purple in the face with anger and had been screaming silently at the 'freaks' ever since the silencing charm had been put on him.

Bill was finally satisfied that everything was as it should be and he took a deep breath and started chanting under his breath in the language of the ancient Egyptians. A slight breeze began to blow around the room, gathering speed as he chanted. The runes around the pentacles began to glow an eerie blue.

Bill took the dagger and cut a rune into his palm "I, son of the house of Weasley, do call upon my magic to judge the three before me. If they are innocent, may I be damned in their place."

A white glow surrounded Bill for a second and then flew from his body into those of the three Dursleys. When the light passed through their bodies, it turned black and disappeared.

Molly took it up from there, cutting a rune into her own palm. "I, matriarch of the House of Weasley, do call upon my magic to judge the three before me. If they are innocent, may I be damned in their place."

The same thing happened. The white light, albeit a bit brighter than Bill's, flew from her body into those of the Dursleys and again turned black as night.

The Dursleys, by this point, were almost petrified with fear. Dudley promptly peed in his pants.

It was Lupin's turn next. "I, patriarch of the House of Lupin, do call upon my magic to judge the three before me. If they are innocent, may I be damned in their place."

It went on like that. Arthur, Tonks, Charlie, Fred and George all cut the runes into their palms and said the incantation.

Finally it was Ginny's turn, and she took the knife and shakily cut the rune into her palm, ignoring the pain. "I, daughter of the House of Weasley, do call upon my magic to judge the three before me. If they are innocent, may I be damned in their place."

As she finished the incantation, a brilliant flash of light surrounded her, ten times as bright as that of the others in the room. They had to shield their eyes to protect them from the blinding intensity. The light flew from her body into those of the terrified Dursleys, and all three of them were knocked unconscious.

When they were finally able to see again, there was pandemonium in the room. All of them looked highly confused as to why it had worked so strongly for her; all except Bill and Remus. They both looked at Ginny calculatingly, amazed at what they had seen and what it meant.

The others were staring at Bill questioningly, but he shook his head reassuringly. He could not talk now; the ritual needed to be completed.

He began chanting under his breath again, holding his palm where he had etched the rune outwards, facing the Dursleys. His hand and those of the others glowed blue, and a black dome began to form around the Dursleys as he chanted, getting smaller and smaller with each word. Finally, it seeped inside them and dissipated as he finished the spell.

Bill nodded to the others. "It is done. Let's clean this place up and go."

Cleaning charms were quickly cast, erasing all evidence of anything untoward having happened in the house. When everything was in place, Molly quickly cast the counter charms on the unconscious Dursleys, setting them free of the body-binding jinxes they had been placed under. They quickly headed to the door, wanting to be out of the cursed place as soon as possible.

Bill turned back one last time to look at the sprawled-out Dursleys. "Merlin have mercy on your wretched souls."

Remus took out the put-outer and restored the lights to Privet Drive even as Bill, Charlie and Arthur took down all the Muggle repelling, privacy and notice-me-not charms.

Then with a collective pop, they apparated back to Privet Drive, leaving the street as silent as before.

**OoOoOoO**

Wesley Jones sat silently in his armchair, sipping from his glass of Firewhisky. His thoughts were bitter and his brow was wrinkled with worry. Once upon a time, he had been an elite Auror, one of the bravest of the force. He had fought with distinction in the past war. Then, one night, his world had come crashing down around him and all he had been left with was an Order of Merlin, Second Class.

He and his partner had been ambushed by three Death Eaters. The two of them had fought bravely, holding off the Death Eaters as best as they could, but it wasn't enough. He could still remember it as if it had been yesterday.

"_Lionel… help should be here soon… we just need to hold off these bastards a few more minutes."_

"_Don't know if we'll make it, Wes," Lionel gasped painfully, cradling his shattered arm against his body as he rapidly sent off stunners at their assailants._

"_Don't stun them, you fool," Wes barked. "Use blasting curses."_

_One of the Death Eaters laughed mockingly. "Tell me, how does it feel to know you are going to die?"_

"_I don't rightly know," Wes said with a savage grin, as he managed to blast the Death Eaters chest open, killing him on the spot, "but I'm sure you did."_

_Out of a corner of his eye he saw a powerful blasting curse heading towards his partner. He suddenly knew with sickening certainty that if it hit, it would be fatal._

_Acting purely on instinct, he jumped in front of the curse and raised a shield quickly. It had not been enough. The curse ripped the shield apart and threw him ten feet into the air and into a crumbling wall of a rickety abandoned warehouse. Unconsciousness claimed him and he never saw part of the wall fall down on him, crushing both his legs below the waist._

Every day since then he had wondered if it would have been better if he had died that day. He could never forgive the Death Eaters for leaving him alive.

"Wes, dear," a soft voice called hesitantly. "Don't you think you have had enough to drink?"

Wes grunted noncommittally.

Soft arms wrapped around him, hugging him lovingly. "Won't you come to bed, love?"

"I'm not sleepy, Hestia," Wes sighed.

"Stop thinking about it, Wes," Hestia whispered gently. "It will do you no good. Can't you see what its doing to you?"

"What can a person like me do but think?" Wes bit off angrily, motioning at his crippled body. "I can't even move around without help."

"Oh, Wes," Hestia said sadly, tears brimming in her eyes. "When will you learn to see that your life isn't over? You aren't useless, darling. Why don't you take that position that Albus has…"

Whatever she was about to say was cut short as a thundering explosion rocked the house, throwing both of them to the floor.

Wes crawled towards his wand, trying to will his body not to betray him. His fingers were just wrapping themselves around it when the metallic tip of a cane crashed down on his hand, crushing several bones.

Wes screamed in agony, letting go of the wand.

"Wes!" Hestia screamed, scrambling to aid her husband.

A resounding slap threw her back onto the floor.

"You… you bastard," Wes croaked, murder blazing from his eyes.

"Now, now, Jones," Lucius Malfoy smirked, as he looked down at the helpless wizard lying beneath his foot. "You must preserve your vocal cords. It wouldn't do for them to desert you later on."

"Crabbe? Goyle?" Lucius called out.

Two grunts answered him.

"Don't you think that such a lovely lady as Mrs. Jones needs to be shown a good time?"

Crabbe Senior smiled viciously. "Yes, of course."

"Don't you dare touch her. I'll tear you apart limb by limb," Wes screamed in rage.

Lucius smirked. "I see the years haven't dimmed your anger, Jones. I would have been most disappointed to see that you had changed."

"Apparate out of here, Hestia," Wes screamed.

"I… I can't… not leaving you…" Hestia sobbed, trying desperately to find her wand.

"Touching sentiment," Lucius said wryly. "Not that Apparating will help you. There are anti-apparation wards all around the house."

She finally found her wand and raised it weakly, pointing it at Lucius. It was a futile gesture, as it was ripped out of her hands by Crabbe. She got another slap for her trouble.

"Pretty lady like you should learn to behave," Goyle spat.

Wes struggled like an animal under Lucius, trying to go to the aid of his wife. The blond-haired Death Eater watched in amusement, allowing him to nearly reach her, before flicking his wand and pulling him back again. He finally got bored of tormenting the man and levitated him off the ground.

"I think this is one event that you want a good view of," he said softly as he stuck him up on the ceiling with a permanent sticking charm.

Wesley struggled against the charm, using all his strength to try and get free. It was no use.

When his beloved wife's screams drifted up to him, he started struggling anew. He screamed, threatened and finally begged the laughing Death Eaters to stop. He might as well have been egging them on for all the good it did.

He must have died a hundred times, the shame of not even being able to protect his wife eating him up.

They finally left, the body of his wife lying cold and lifeless on the floor, his screams echoing in their ears, screams begging them to kill him, too.

**OoOoOoO**

Emmeline Vance sat by her dresser, carefully removing the last vestiges of makeup from her face. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She didn't look half bad. Even though she was well past thirty, she could easily pass off as someone in her late twenties.

Normally, she was not one to indulge in admiring herself but she _was_ a woman after all. Sometimes, even she could allow herself this luxury. After all, it wasn't like there was any _man_ around to do it.

Her mind drifted for a second to Sirius Black and she immediately stopped herself. That part of her life was over. She had mourned his death long enough. It would do no good to dwell on it anymore.

Suddenly she heard a beeping sound coming from downstairs and she immediately went on full alert. She grabbed her wand and stealthily tiptoed down the stairs to the landing halfway down. From there, she had a perfect place to hit anyone trying to make their way up.

"What in the blue blazes is that infernal sound?" a voice growled angrily from the room next door.

"Damned if I know," another voice answered.

Emmeline took a deep breath. There were two of them.

She congratulated herself on having installed the muggle security system in her house. These muggle-hating idiots would never have expected _that_.

She crouched down to compress her body and make herself less of a target and waited patiently. Seconds ticked away and she stood poised tensely, praying that atleast one of them was dumb enough to show himself.

Her prayers were answered.

One of them stuck his head around cautiously, looking to see if he could spot her. The next second his head exploded as a blasting curse hit him full on.

Emmeline smiled victoriously. Now the ground was a bit more even.

"You bitch," the second Death Eater growled. "I'll get you for that."

"Give it your best shot, Dolohov," Emmeline said coldly, recognizing the voice of the Death Eater. "Maybe you'll be luckier than your friend."

Tense minutes passed and nobody made a move.

"Oi, Dolohov," Emmeline said tauntingly. "You should know that the Order will be arriving soon. I hope you have a good time at Azkaban."

There was no answer.

Emmeline took a deep breath and quietly made her way down the rest of the way. She dropped to the ground and crawled forward slowly, not willing to make the same mistake as the dead Death Eater and stick her face out in the open.

Suddenly a spell raced towards her and she rolled out of the way just in time.

Emmeline cursed as she realized that the rotten piece of shit had an Invisibility cloak. She pointed her wand at the direction the spell had come from. "_Accio Invisibility Cloak._"

The cloak ripped off the Death Eater and flew towards her, but before she had a time to even think of catching it, Dolohov leapt forward, brandishing his wand.

"_Crucio."_

The spell nearly hit her. It was by only sheer luck that she managed to get away in time. Even then it nearly grazed her. She thanked all the deities that she had kept herself in good shape. If the spell had hit the duel would have been over.

She leapt to her feet and cast a blasting curse at the furious Death Eater.

He blocked it with a hastily cast shield and sent the killing curse right back at her.

The two dueled fiercely, both aiming to kill, both fighting for their lives. Their desperation heightened their senses, quickened their reflexes. Both of them were badly injured. Emmeline was bleeding freely from a large gash on her left side and Dolohov's entire torso was burnt from a combusting spell she had hit him with.

"You filthy mudblood bitch. I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do," Dolohov growled angrily. He flicked his wand and a powerful purple spell raced out of his wand towards Emmeline.

Her eyes widened and she put up her most powerful shield and braced herself. The impact blew her across the room and she landed with a sickening thump on a kitchen counter, breaking several ribs.

Dolohov smirked triumphantly. "Anything to say before I kill you, bitch?"

Emmeline looked up weakly and nodded. Her right hand blurred and the next moment Dolohov screamed as a knife embedded itself into his wand hand.

"You talk far too much, Dolohov," Emmeline choked, coughing out a mouthful of blood as she shakily stood up, her wand pointed straight at the Death Eater.

"_Reducto_."

The spell raced towards the Death Eater, but before it could hit Dolohov had grabbed for his neck and muttered something, disappearing immediately.

Emmeline closed her eyes in disappointment. _Bloody Portkey!_

**OoOoOoO**

Augusta Longbottom sat up sleepily, wondering what on earth had woken her up.

"Mistress," a house-elf squeaked in a terrified voice, tapping her hand again. "The wards have been breached. You must go."

This woke her up quickly enough and she sat up with a jerk, her body trembling slightly as she realized what this meant. It was her worst fears coming true. "Are you quite sure, Mitty?" she whispered.

"Yes, Mistress, Mitty is sure," the house-elf said, wringing her hands in desperation.

"Get Neville up and get him downstairs. Go now," the stern Longbottom Matriarch said nodding her head in resignation.

Mitty nodded and disappeared with a pop.

Augusta got up wearily, her bones aching due to her rheumatism. She collected her wand and hurriedly moved downstairs. She saw Neville waiting for her, dressed in pyjamas, wand held steadily in his hand.

"Is it true, Gran?" he asked softly.

She nodded. "Listen to me very carefully, Neville. The floo is the only way we can escape. They are sure to have warded the house against apparition and Portkeys. I need you to do exactly as I say and not argue, no matter what happens."

"But, Gran…"

"No buts," she said sternly. "Now come, quickly."

Neville obediently followed his grandmother towards the fireplace that was situated in the Great Hall of Longbottom Manor.

Suddenly there was a loud crashing sound from a room nearby.

Augusta Longbottom paled. She had hoped for a bit more time, but apparently it was not to be. She quickly lit the fire and thrust the pot of Floo powder into Neville's hand. "Floo to the Three Broomsticks. Quickly, boy!"

"Wh…what about you?" Neville stammered.

"I'm coming right behind you," Augusta said urgently. "Go quickly."

Neville looked uncertain but obeyed his grandmother. A sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach told him he was making a big mistake. He threw the floo powder into the fire, stepped into the green flames and clearly yelled, "the Three Broomsticks!"

The last thing he saw was the door to the hall flying open and the smirking visage of Bellatrix Lestrange pointing a wand on his grandmother.

Neville fell out of the fireplace in the nearly deserted Three Broomsticks, sick with fear. "No," he whispered in horror. "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

He got up and sprinted off towards Hogwarts as fast as his legs would carry him.

**OoOoOoO**


	21. Picking up the Pieces

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (18)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - to find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** No I don't own Harry Potter. I just write fanfics for fun and make absolutely no money out of it. It all belongs to the great JK Rowling.

**OoOoOoO**

**Picking up the Pieces**

**OoOoOoO**

Amelia Bones sat in her office at Gryffin Manor, the official residence of the Minister of Magic, busy studying the proposal to allow Aurors the right to kill in self defense. The whole thing was distasteful to her. In all her years as Law Enforcement she had always believed that there were some things one just didn't do. By passing this decree she knew that she would be giving the Aurors almost a free hand to deal with the Death Eaters.

She had been Head of D.M.L.E for a long while and she knew the Aurors. They were furious and thirsty for revenge. Their comrades had been killed and they were eager to retaliate.

By signing this decree it would mean the beginning of a bloodbath.

There was also the risk of the government becoming too militaristic. By changing the law to try and stop Death Eaters she was also creating the possibility that a few rogue Aurors might harass innocents.

She sighed. No matter how worried she may be at the consequences she knew that this new law was very necessary. The Aurors would not last long if they could not protect themselves. When push came to shove the Death Eaters were animals. Anybody who tortured and killed innocents for sport deserved to die.

She was reaching across her desk for a quill when the door to her office flew open and five Aurors led by Kingsley Shacklebolt rushed in. The Aurors wasted no time in locking the door and then warding it with the most powerful wards they knew.

"What is the meaning of this?" Amelia asked sharply, glaring at Kingsley.

"Get down under your desk and stay there, Minister," Kingsley said urgently.

Amelia knew what that tone meant and complied immediately.

The next second the door to the office blew apart into smithereens.

The Dark Lord was here.

**OoOoOoO**

_Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his office looking over the plans for the upcoming school year. It was a thankless job, being Headmaster. Dealing with budget cuts, hiring new Defense teachers every year, dealing with the endless legalities that were required.

Things were so much simpler when he was just a teacher. All he had to worry about then was making sure that his pupils were kept interested in the intricacies of Transfiguration. Now it was so much more complicated. One wrong move on his part could destroy so many lives.

He suddenly noticed that one of his instruments in the office was flashing red and he frowned.

Who had come to Hogwarts at this hour? He tapped the instrument with his wand, muttering under his breath. The object stopped flashing and emitted a puff of smoke which formed a name.

Dumbledore frowned. This was very curious, indeed. He threw a pinch of floo powder into the fire. "Minerva McGonagall."

McGonagall's face appeared in the fire, she looked as if she had been woken up from deep sleep.

"Neville Longbottom is about to reach the main gates in a few moments, Minerva. If it isn't too much trouble would you kindly meet him and bring him up to my office," Dumbledore said apologetically.

McGonagall nodded and withdrew her head from the fire, rushing to do as the Headmaster had requested.

In almost no time at all the doors to his office flew open and a red faced Neville rushed into the office like a hurricane.

"Professor, please, you _have_ to help me," he pleaded, almost in hysterics.

"Calm down, Mr. Longbottom," Dumbledore said kindly. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Death Eaters attacked us," Neville said urgently. "My Grandmother is trapped in there."

Dumbledore wasted no time in acting. He grabbed some floo powder and threw it into the fire. "Auror Headquarters."

A young Auror answered the call. "Can I help you, Headmaster?" he asked nervously.

"There has been an attack on Longbottom Manor. Send Aurors there immediately," Dumbledore replied, his voice conveying the urgency.

"Yes, sir," the Auror said quickly, running off to do as he was bid.

The call finished, the aged Headmaster looked up to see his Deputy standing there, her face white with shock.

They both knew that Augusta Longbottom was dead.

They waited in silence, waiting for the call confirming what they both knew but hoped was untrue. Neville was sitting in his chair, trembling with fear. Every single second seemed like an eternity to him, time lost forever, leaving him unable to help his Grandmother.

The fire flared again and Mad-Eye's face appeared in the fireplace. The scarred Auror shook his head sadly. "We were too late, Albus."

Neville slumped in his seat at hearing these words, his world crashing down around him. He dimly registered McGonagall's hands on his shoulders, offering comfort, but it didn't help. Nothing would help anymore. He had failed his Grandmother. He had run away like a coward, leaving her to die.

"Have Aurors make rounds of every Order member's house," Dumbledore said gravely. "I suspect that this wasn't just a random attack."

Alastor nodded and closed the connection.

Within a few minutes it had become very apparent that his hunch had been correct. Dumbledore aged years in that short span, thinking of all the lives that had been destroyed. He was further worried by the news of the Weasleys, Lupin and Tonks having gone missing. He had a good suspicion as to their whereabouts and realized with a pang that they couldn't have chosen a worse night to pay the Dursleys a visit.

As soon as the news of the mass attacks had reached his ears he had sent for Madam Pomfrey and Snape and sent them over to Headquarters to help the injured trickling in.

Dumbledore turned to his deputy. "Would you be so kind to take Mr. Longbottom to Headquarters, Minerva? I shall follow you there as soon as possible."

McGonagall inclined her head, wordlessly agreeing.

Dumbledore turned to Neville. "The Location of the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is Number 12 Grimmauld Place."

He had barely finished speaking when the fire flared again. "A young Auror's face appeared in the fire, panic clear on his face.

"Headmaster, he's after the Minister. The Dark Lord is at Gryffin Manor!"

Dumbledore's face hardened. "Fawkes."

Fawkes appeared above him in a flash of fire and a second later Dumbledore had disappeared from Hogwarts.

**OoOoOoO**

Molly, Arthur, Remus, Tonks and the others appeared quietly into the hall of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, fully expecting that everybody would be in bed at this unearthly hour. They knew that if anybody was awake some awkward questions could be asked.

They immediately realized that something was very wrong. Headquarters was a scene of utter chaos.

The teenagers, who were all supposed to be asleep, were sitting around the Hall, their faces reflecting the enormity of what had come to pass.

Ron and Hermione were sitting together on a couch, holding hands, trying to lend each other whatever support they could. Harry sat in a matching armchair besides them, staring into space, a blank look in his eyes. Only his clenched fists showed that he was feeling any emotion at all.

Pat, Sean, Jack and Alan just sat in a corner looking stunned and overwhelmed. The day had been so perfect, like a fairy tale. Magic was such a wondrous thing, filled with such limitless potential for good. It was the second time in their short contact with the magical world that they were seeing the destructive side of this amazing power and it horrified them more than a little. It almost seemed comparable to man using fire to burn people at the stake rather than to cook his food or keep himself warm. It seemed monstrous to misuse such a gift.

The floo kept flaring every few minutes as Order members entered or exited Headquarters, their faces showing the strain of the immense blow the light had suffered.

They noticed Madam Pomfrey moving about rapidly in the kitchen, which she had converted into a makeshift medical center. She was currently trying to stop the extensive bleeding of a badly injured Emmeline Vance. Other Order members sat around, nursing injuries ranging from broken bones to severe burns.

Snape was busy in a corner of the kitchen, brewing healing potions that Madam Pomfrey required as fast as he could. His movements were steady and sure, those of an expert who knew his job and could do it in his sleep. It was truly amazing to see him brewing half a dozen potions at once, never making a single error.

Ron looked up suddenly and his eyes fell on his parents and siblings. "Where _were_ all of you?" he burst out. "We were so worried!"

They _had_ been very worried. The hands on Harry's watch for Ginny, Fred, George and Remus had been pointing at Mortal Peril. This was due to the fact that the spell they had been casting on the Dursleys would have been fatal for them if miscast or if the Dursleys had been innocent, but Harry and the others didn't know that. Ron had been particularly upset. His entire family had gone missing and he was terribly scared of the prospect of losing them.

None of them knew what to say and looked at each other uneasily.

"Order business," Tonks said finally.

"Right, might I ask when Ginny joined the Order?" asked Ron sarcastically.

"That's enough of your questions, Ronald," Molly said sharply. "What happened here tonight?"

Her answer came from another quarter.

"Death Eaters attacked," Harry said tersely. "What seems like every Order member who wasn't at Headquarters was hit."

Tonks gasped. "Did… did anybody… did everybody… make it out?" she stammered.

Harry shook his head, his face bitter with anger. "We don't know. Dumbledore got Mad-Eye to send Aurors to every Order member's house to check up on them. We haven't heard back from them yet so there's no way to tell."

This bit of news hit Molly, Remus, and the others very hard and left them wanting to sink through the floor in shame. The very night that they had chosen to cast the curse on the Dursleys was the night the Order had really needed them. They had failed their fellow members and now it was too late. Nothing could undo the damage done.

The floo suddenly flared and a chubby boy dressed in pyjamas tumbled out. His wand was held limply by his side and there was a haunted look in his eyes.

"Neville?" Hermione called out anxiously, as she rushed over to his side. "What happened?"

He didn't even glance at her, it almost seemed as if he didn't notice her, or anybody else in the room, for that matter.

The fire flared again and McGonagall stepped out, her face tight and gaunt.

"Professor," Hermione asked timidly. "What happened to Neville?"

McGonagall was silent for a long moment, her posture defeated. "Longbottom Manor was attacked."

Hermione gasped and wrapped her arms around Neville, hugging him tightly. Neville didn't respond. His hands still hung limply by his side as he stood there, as still as a statue.

The bushy haired girl very quickly realized that her fellow Gryffindor was in shock and she gently pulled him to a couch and sat him down. Then she hurried off into the kitchen to ask Madam Pomfrey for a calming draught for him.

Harry and Ron walked over to their friend, trying in their own awkward way to offer their support. But Neville didn't respond at all. His life had never been ideal, he had never been popular or talented or powerful. He had to see his parents in a catatonic state every time he visited them at the hospital. All he really had was his grandmother.

Augusta Longbottom had never really showered him with love and affection. She had never shown that she was overly proud of her grandson, hardly ever shown her approval. But he knew that she loved him and her actions of tonight had proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Remus turned to the others. "I think we should pair up and make a sweep to check if anybody needs help."

Bill nodded. "I'll take Fred with me. Charlie you take along George. We'll take Diagon Alley and Gringotts and you two check up on the Burrow."

Charlie nodded and both parties Apparated away. Remus and Tonks popped away to Auror Headquarters to see what kind of a mess they were in.

Molly turned to Arthur, her face reflecting her fear. "Percy hasn't turned up yet… do you… do you think he's all right?"

Arthur put his arms around his distraught wife. "I'm sure he's okay. I'll just go over to his house to check up on him, anyway."

"Bring him and Penelope back here," Molly said, wringing her hands with worry.

Arthur nodded and Apparated away.

**OoOoOoO**

_Gryffin Manor, the Minister's Office._

The dust had barely even cleared when the Aurors acted, sending several powerful blasting curses at the space where the door used to be.

They hit a shimmering barrier and all of them were reflected back at the casters. The six Aurors dodged as best as they could, but two of them were hit by the reflected curses, ending their lives on the spot.

A cold laugh echoed through the chamber, sending chills down their spines. "Foolsss, surrender, run away while you still can," a sibilant voice hissed from behind the shield.

"Hold your positions," Kingsley said softly to his fellow Aurors. "Whatever happens, do not let him get to the Minister."

"So be it," Voldemort said coldly.

A flash of green light flew out with deadly accuracy, ending the life of another Auror.

The Aurors responded by throwing the most deadly spells they knew at the hooded figure before them but they all dissipated against the Dark Lord's shield or were reflected back almost effortlessly.

Voldemort flicked his wand and a deadly whip of flame sprang up from it and rushed at two of the remaining Aurors. It wrapped around them tightly, the bright blue flames burning their bodies to ash in no time at all. The screams from the two Aurors were terrible to hear, sending chills down the spines of the Minister and the remaining Auror.

Kingsley suddenly knew with sickening certainty that he was not going to be able to hold off the Dark Lord. He was going to die in the next few seconds.

A flash of memory suddenly assaulted him and he was reminded of a green eyed boy who had dared to stand up to the monster before him. Dared to defy him and _win_.

Kingsley clenched his jaw. He would not go without a fight. He could not let anything happen to the Minister.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_ he screamed.

The killing curse raced towards the Dark Lord but before it could hit him a chunk of the destroyed door flew in to intercept the spell.

Voldemort stepped into the room, eyeing the tall Auror with an amused smile. "You fought bravely. But you forget that bravery does not make up for lack of skill or power."

He raised his wand, ready to cast the spell to end the life of the last of his obstacles.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

Kingsley closed his eyes, knowing all was lost. He wondered whether it would be painful.

A second later he heard an angry hiss. "So we meet again, Dumbledore."

He opened his eyes to see a sight for sore eyes. Albus Dumbledore stood beside him, wand drawn, magic literally rippling around him in his fury.

"I suggest you leave, Tom," Dumbledore said in a low, furious tone.

Voldemort replied by shooting a killing curse at the Headmaster. By the time it was halfway to him Dumbledore had already disappeared.

He reappeared a little distance away and flicked his wand. A beam of raw magic thundered towards Voldemort.

The Dark Lord conjured up his strongest shield, even then it was barely enough. He was pushed back a few feet by the sheer power of the spell.

"Always so ready to protect everyone, aren't you, Dumbledore? It is your biggest weakness," Voldemort spat, sending the killing curse towards an unsuspecting Kingsley.

"You have always underestimated the power of love, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly, as he pushed Kingsley out of the way of the spell with a brief wave of his hand. "And this has already set the path to your doom in motion."

Voldemort laughed. "My doom? Your precious Order has been taken apart by me in _one_ night. That traitor you tried to use to spy on me has been keeping me informed of _all_ your activities throughout the last year."

Popping sounds from behind him alerted Voldemort to the arrival of more Aurors. He turned to Dumbledore to get in one last word. "Now you will watch as I destroy your followers one by one. The Potter boy won't elude me forever, either. Do what you can to protect him."

The Dark Lord then whirled around on the spot and disappeared.

"Is he gone, Albus?" a shaken Kingsley asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore said tiredly. "Get Amelia and let's head to Headquarters."

**OoOoOoO**

The night so far had been long and terrible. For the teenagers there had been nothing to do but wait. The seconds had ticked by like an eternity and just when the wait got unbearable more bad news had trickled in.

There was utter silence in the room, none of them knew what to say and nobody dared to break the fragile atmosphere. The looks on the faces of the adults, the news of utter destruction coming in every second and seeing with their own eyes the horror of war had aged all of them, stolen their innocence.

The Dark Mark shone bright all over the country that night, mocking the side of the light. The people gone could never be replaced. The blood spilled could never be washed away.

The young teenagers had a first hand glimpse of the terror of the first war. Harry finally understood why grown wizards feared to say the Dark Lord's name.

Voldemort was undoubtedly powerful, but what made him so feared was his cunning and viciousness. He struck swiftly and suddenly, like a striking snake, leaving nothing but pain and destruction behind. There was nothing that was sacred to him and he showed no mercy to his victims.

Fortunately, there was some hope still left. The relief on the faces of the Weasleys when Arthur had arrived back at Headquarters with Percy and Penelope had been plain to see. Molly had leapt up and hugged him fiercely, the long minutes she had spent praying for his safety wordlessly being conveyed by the strength of her embrace.

Bill and Fred returned soon after, with more good news. Gringotts and Diagon Alley had not been targeted at all. The goblins had been alerted and they had put the bank into a state of temporary lockdown. Even the Dark Lord would have trouble getting past the wards now.

The injured Order members had all been seen to by Madam Pomfrey and most of them would make it through without any lasting damage. The more serious cases had been sent over to St. Mungo's where the healers were already working overtime.

The silence was suddenly disrupted by a series of sudden pops and Albus Dumbledore strode into the room, followed by Minister Bones, Kingsley and Mad-Eye.

Kingsley and Mad-Eye looked just about done in and the faces of the Headmaster and the Minister reflected similar weary looks.

"Albus, what happened?" Molly asked anxiously.

"Voldemort went after Amelia," Mad-Eye growled, "If Albus hadn't made it there on time we'd be holding elections tomorrow."

"Contact everybody," Dumbledore said softly, his voice tinged with anger. "Full Order meeting in half an hour."

_Half an hour later…_

The kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld Place was packed with Order members. Dumbledore had needed to expand the room to fit everybody.

Many of them sat with body parts wrapped in bandages or nursing burns. The Order had been hit very hard and it showed.

There was an uneasy silence in the room as the warriors of the light tried to predict how badly this would affect the war. This was sure to send the already terrified public into all out panic.

Dumbledore threw the meeting open and one by one the members gave their reports. It was finally it was all out in the open, all the ugly details staring them in the face. They had lost Hestia Jones, Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge and Augusta Longbottom, all highly respected Order members. Several Aurors had lost their lives trying to defend Amelia Bones before Dumbledore arrived to take on Voldemort.

Most of the people who had escaped the attacks were left without any homes to go to and over half of the Order was injured, some critically so.

It was also found out that while Voldemort was at Gryffin Manor a group of Death Eaters had attacked Azkaban and freed the Death Eaters that were captured by Dumbledore in the attack on Harry.

"We are going to lose this damn war if we go on like this," Moody roared. "We keep capturing them only to have those bastards broken out of prison every single time."

"Do you have a solution to that, Alastor?" Amelia Bones asked tiredly.

"You're damn right I do. A few reducting curses will take care of the problem. _Permanently_."

"We cannot murder them, Alastor. It would make us no better than them," Amelia said firmly.

"It's gone way beyond morals, Minister," Alastor growled. "If we don't do something soon it will be all over for us."

"The decree to allow the Aurors to use lethal spells in self defense will go through. But if they can be captured you _will_ capture them and we will _not_ kill any prisoners. Do I make myself clear?" Amelia said sternly.

Suddenly one of the Order members stood up, his face suffused with rage. "It's all that bastards fault," he said pointing a shaking finger at Snape. "The traitor sold us all out. Nobody could have known the identities of the Order members if not for him."

Dumbledore opened his mouth to calm the man down but before he could do so a voice coldly cut in.

"Shut up and sit down."

Everybody whirled to see where the voice had come from. They were stunned to see that it was Harry Potter that spoke. It was very well known that the loathing he and Snape had for each other was legendry.

"The man risked his life to spy for us. Yes, he got hoodwinked by Voldemort, but none of you would have fared any better. You think it's easy to go there day after day knowing that you could be exposed any minute and tortured to death? You think he enjoyed being held under the Cruciatus every time he went to one of the gatherings?"

The man flushed a bright red with embarrassment and sat down quickly, shooting a venomous glare at Harry.

"As for the identities of the Order members being secret… well, it was bound to come out some day. It would have taken just one of you getting captured and the game would have been up."

Snape stared at Harry furiously. He didn't need the brat to stand up for him and was about to open his mouth to tell him just that.

However Dumbledore chose that moment to speak. "We have all made mistakes. There is nothing to do but to learn from them and move on. Now is not the time to fight amongst ourselves. It would be exactly what Voldemort wants, and what we must deny him at all costs."

Several people flinched at hearing the Dark Lord's name and Harry knew that Voldemort had succeeded in putting more terror into their hearts tonight.

Dumbledore turned to Amelia. "There will need to be more Aurors stationed at Gryffin Manor and the wards will have to be strengthened. It is very possible that he will attack again."

"Don't worry, Headmaster," Kingsley said quietly. "From now on there will be a dozen Aurors stationed there permanently."

"There is hardly any need for that," Madam Bones protested. "The Aurors are badly needed elsewhere."

"There is no bigger concern than protecting you, Minister," Arthur said politely. "You are the person heading the magical government, the symbol of stability. If something were to happen to you the wizarding world would fall into anarchy.

There was a brief discussion of reimbursement from the Ministry to be given to those whose homes were destroyed and the official statement to be given to the Daily Prophet and the meeting soon broke up.

**OoOoOoO**

Severus Snape walked out of the room quickly, eager to get back to Hogwarts and away from the hate filled glares he could still feel directed at him.

He was almost out of the main door when he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. He whirled around angrily ready to give whoever it was a scathing tongue lashing.

He was surprised to see that it was Harry Potter. What did the brat want now?

"Can I speak to you, Professor?" Harry asked politely.

"What do you think you are doing now, you imbecile?" Snape sneered.

"I mean in private."

Snape was about to open his mouth to say that he had no desire to waste a single moment of his time talking to him when the boy's next words stopped him.

"Please, I wont take too much of your time."

He nodded and silently followed Harry to the parlour and watched in irritation as he cast a few strong locking and privacy charms.

"Well, Potter? I haven't got all day," he said impatiently.

Harry nodded. "There are two things I need to discuss with you," he said slowly. "One concerns the Defense club that Professor Dumbledore has asked me to run this year."

"Ah, yes," Snape said silkily. "The great Harry Potter is to train the students of Hogwarts to fight the Death Eaters. They should feel safer already."

"As I was saying…" Harry bit out, keeping his temper in firm check. "Professor Dumbledore allowed me the assistance of a member of faculty and I was hoping you'd consent to help."

"You want me to 'assist_'_ you to run your Defense club?" Snape asked coldly. "Getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we, Potter? Just as I thought your head couldn't get any more inflated."

Harry sighed in frustration. "Can we _please_ drop the 'I've got a Dementor up my arse' attitude for a bit? I know you hate me, but would it _kill_ you to be less obvious about it?"

Snape's eyes flashed in rage. "You insolent whelp! You think you are so special, don't you? Strutting around like you are someone special? It will take the Dark Lord ten minutes to break you and all your Gryffindor bravery."

"He's tried before, Professor," Harry said in an equally cold tone. "And I doubt he'll stop coming after me till I'm dead. But someday you might realize that it's not in your best interests to have me 'broken' by him."

"Are you threatening me, Potter?" Snape said, narrowing his eyes, dangerously.

"Not at all," Harry said calmly, reigning in his temper again.

"Look, I didn't ask for your help to show you that I'm superior to you. I still don't fully understand why Professor Dumbledore asked me to run the club. Maybe it was because you were still spying for the Order at that time. Maybe he has other reasons. I don't know. All I know is that it's now _my_ responsibility to make sure that all those students are trained to face what's out there. And I need help in getting them ready."

Harry glanced at Snape, trying to see if his words were having any effect on the man. There was no way to make out. The Potions Master was listening to him quietly, his black eyes totally blank of any emotion.

"There's nobody on the faculty with knowledge of the Dark Arts as extensive as yours, you know first hand how Voldemort and the Death Eaters operate and you can give the students the best perspective on how to fight them. Also, there is the case of the Slytherins. I know that there must be those that do not support Voldemort, maybe they will join the club seeing you there."

"Very well, Potter," Snape said quietly. "I will help you with your club. Now, is that all?"

"No, there is another matter I need your help with… and this is more personal," Harry said hesitantly.

Snape sneered. "The day gets better and better. Very well, Potter, I'm listening."

Harry closed his eyes momentarily to bolster his courage and quickly explained what he needed. He showed Snape the book on unforgivables and what his theory was. When he finished he saw Snape was looking at him like he suspected Harry had trolls in his family tree.

"I always knew you were dense, Potter," he said disgustedly. "But this is taking it too far, even for you."

"Listen… I know it seems…"

"No, you listen, Potter," Snape snarled. "They are called 'Unforgivables' for a reason. The Death Eaters themselves do not use them lightly. They are _not_ meant to be trifled with. Do you _ever_ think before you come up with these harebrained schemes of yours?"

"I know the dangers. Don't think for a second that I've not thought this through," Harry said sharply. "But sometimes the gains are worth the risks."

"Risks? Do you even know what you are suggesting? You are not taking a 'risk', you are trying to commit suicide. There is no way this will work."

"I will make it work," Harry said firmly, his eyes flashing with absolute determination.

Snape smirked and turned to leave. "Well best of luck, Potter. As much as I would love to help you commit suicide it would put me in a very undesirable position were I to be caught."

"You _will_ help me, Professor," Harry said calmly.

Snape stopped and turned to look at Harry contemptuously, a nerve on his temple ticking ominously. "What was that?"

"You will help me," Harry repeated slowly.

"What in that idiotic Potter mind of yours makes you think you can make me help you?" Snape asked silkily. "Do you think just because you told off a few people in my defense that you will be able to dictate terms to me? Or are you under the misconception that saving my life gave you the right to make demands of me?"

Harry shook his head. "You do not owe me anything, Professor. I don't intend to call in any favors for any services you think I did you. The only reason I think you will help me is because I'm asking for your help. Because I _need_ your help. Your help, nobody else's. You will have a Potter indebted to you… isn't that what you've always wanted? And this is the only chance you will ever get to exact your revenge. Take it or leave it."

The two men looked at each other in silence, each weighing the other.

Finally Harry gave a small smile and turned to walk out of the room. "See you at Hogwarts, Professor. You can decide when you want to hold the lessons then."

**OoOoOoO**

Harry slowly walked into his bedroom, worn out from the happenings of the night. He dreaded going to bed, knowing that the nightmares would not let him be. He pondered on his conversation with Snape, knowing he was playing with fire. But he also knew that there was no other way to get what he wanted.

The burden on his shoulders felt heavier tonight and he realized that he had failed those who had fallen today. Failed them because he was the only one who could end the war and he was too weak to do so.

How many more would fall? How many families would be destroyed before he was able to take on Voldemort? Would it be too late by then? Would there be anything left to save?

He sighed and walked over to his desk, sinking into the chair. He didn't bother to switch on the lights, the darkness suited his mood.

"Harry," a quiet voice whispered, startling him greatly.

"Neville?" Harry gasped, looking over to his bed where a shadowy figure was sitting. "You scared me mate. What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry. I needed to talk to you," Neville said slowly, his voice so low that Harry had to strain to hear him.

Harry was silent for a moment as he wondered what his friend wanted at this hour of the night and why it could not wait. Something about it gave him a very bad feeling. "Right now? About what?" he asked warily.

There was another pause and Harry could almost see the internal struggle the other boy was going through. "We're friends, right?" Neville finally asked, almost desperately.

"You know we are," Harry replied quietly. "What's on your mind?"

"I have to kill her, Harry," Neville said slowly, his voice quavering with emotion.

"Who?" Harry asked hesitantly, knowing he wouldn't like the answer.

"Bellatrix," Neville spat. "It was her."

'It was her', these three words told Harry everything. He knew now who had murdered Augusta Longbottom.

"Neville, murdering her won't…"

"Don't, Harry," Neville said sharply, cutting him off. "I have to do it. I can't live knowing she's alive and free."

"But…" Harry tried again.

"No, don't try and talk me out of it. You can't. Just help me, Harry," Neville pleaded.

"Help you? How can I help you?" a frustrated Harry burst out.

"Train me. I'll do anything you want me to do. I'll learn day and night. You are the only one who can help me. The only one who can get me ready."

Harry looked at his friend in sympathy, fully understanding what the other boy was going through. But he also knew that it was a hopeless task. Neville would have a hard time defeating Millicent Bulstrode, much less Bellatrix.

"Neville… I can't, mate. She isn't some third grade Death Eater. She's one of his very best."

"I know all of that, Harry," Neville said stubbornly. "But I've seen you teach the DA, I've seen what you can do when you have set your mind on it. If anybody can help me it's you."

Harry shook his head vehemently. "No, mate, I can't do this. I myself have no hope of beating her. She has had years of training, knows more about the Dark Arts than most of the Death Eaters and she's very vicious. I won't give you false hopes only to have you take on something you aren't ready for and get yourself killed."

Neville got up from the bed, his body shaking from head to toe. "I'll do it with or without you, Harry," he said angrily. "I just thought that you'd understand, that you'd help me. Isn't that what friends do?"

Harry quietly watched as Neville angrily strode to the door and he knew he was defeated. There was no way he could let Neville do this by himself. At least if he was involved he could have some control over this madness. "Wait, Neville."

Neville stopped, his hand poised on the doorknob.

"Ok, I'll help. But first you must promise me that you won't do anything rash. You won't go after her till I tell you that you're good and ready."

Neville hesitated for a long moment before he nodded his head. "I promise."

**OoOoOoO**


	22. The Last Few Days of Summer

**A/N: **Okay… this is the newly written Chapter 19. Hope you guys like it. Next chapter will be up in a week or so.

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (19)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary:** Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - to find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** No I don't own Harry Potter. I just write fanfics for fun and make absolutely no money out of it. It all belongs to the great JK Rowling.

**OoOoOoO**

**The Last Few Days of Summer**

**OoOoOoO**

It was a few days after the funerals of the Order members and Harry found himself outside the door of Neville's bedroom. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but stopped it in mid air when he heard the soft moan coming from within the room. It was quickly followed by more moans and when he strained his ears he could hear anguished muttering.

He quietly opened the door and stepped into the dark room, which was lit by shards of silvery moonlight filtering in through the window. As he stepped closer to the center of the room, where the bed was, he could hear the sounds more clearly and saw the shape of his friend lying in the bed thrashing around in the throes of a terrible nightmare.

He stood quietly and watched the boy on the bed, his eyes shining with pity. The demons of the night had found him too and would not let him be. He wanted to help his friend, wanted to wipe away the darkness tormenting his dreams, but no force on earth could grant him peace. The demons were his own and only he could battle them.

Harry had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him that this night would only have increased Neville's determination to hunt down Bellatrix.

He sighed tiredly. Maybe Neville would be able to find some peace if he was able to finish his quest. He knew that he would need to drive Neville beyond all reasonable limits to ensure he was ready. It was going to be a long road ahead.

He glanced at the shivering figure of Neville and couldn't help but to recall the prophecy that Dumbledore had told him. When he had learnt that Neville was the other person that could have been marked he had reflected for a long time on how truly different he and Neville were.

Neville Longbottom was soft spoken, had a very mild temperament, and had tons of patience, as shown by his love of Herbology. Harry was almost the exact opposite. The two of them looked different, acted different and had totally different upbringings.

Tonight, despite all of that he couldn't help but see a lot of similarities between them too. Both of them had their tasks, their own demons to battle and long, hard roads before them.

Harry shook himself out of his stupor and walking over to the bed, gently shook Neville awake.

Neville sat up with a start, his eyes wide and fearful, his hands blindly searching for his wand.

Harry put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Neville, it's just me."

Neville peered up at Harry. "H-h-Harry? What are you doing here at this time of the night? Is everything all right?"

"It's a little before five in the morning," Harry replied quietly. "Get dressed and come down, we are all waiting for you."

He then turned around and walked out of the room, never looking back. He had had nightmares far too often and he knew how much he hated having people gawking at him afterwards, asking him to talk about it and offering words of reassurance, when both parties knew that it was a meaningless gesture. Nobody could help him, the nightmares could not be stopped. Also he didn't want Neville to see that most despicable emotion in his eyes – pity. Neville deserved far better than that.

Five minutes later a still sleepy Neville joined him and the others downstairs. It was obvious that he had hardly slept during the night.

"Let's go," Harry said softly, as he moved to open the door.

They all filed out and slowly started their run. Harry fell back with Neville and let the others go on ahead. He had an idea that Neville would not take well to physical exercise and he was proved right a few minutes later when the chubby boy was red in the face and panting heavily.

"Take deep breaths," Harry advised.

"I c-can't breathe at all," Neville gasped.

"Yes, you can, your body is just reacting to the exercise as it's not used to it. You may feel like you are going to collapse but you are perfectly fine. In a few days you'll be able to do this without any problems."

Neville, it seemed, was not paying attention as he suddenly stopped and sat down on the pavement gasping for breath. His face was bright red and he was sweating heavily.

"Get up," Harry said quietly, his voice emotionless.

Neville shook his head, too tired to even answer.

"Get up, right now," Harry barked.

"Merlin, Harry, _I can't_," Neville croaked out.

"You will get up immediately or you can find yourself somebody else to train you," Harry said softly.

Neville's eyes moved up to meet Harry's, shock and hurt flashing in them.

"What's it going to be, Neville?"

Neville got up slowly, his face set in a determined and proud mask. "Fine, I'm up."

"Take deep breaths and keep running. You can run a bit slower if you want, but under no circumstances are you to stop."

Neville nodded quietly and they took off again. He was hurt and confused at Harry's behavior as he had never seen Harry acting so coldly. Was all of this some way of telling him that he wasn't willing to spend time training him? Was this a way of showing him why he could never defeat Bellatrix?

Neville was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice that they had returned to Grimmauld Place.

**OoOoOoO**

Ginny turned around at hearing Harry's raised voice and looked at the scene before her in surprise. Neville was sitting down on the ground, seemingly exhausted, and from what she could make out Harry was berating him instead of helping him up. She couldn't believe it. It was obvious that Neville had never exercised much before and therefore it was unfair to expect too much from him on his first day. She started to walk over to help Neville up and give Harry a piece of her mind when a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Don't, Ginny," Pat said softly. "Neville asked Harry for his help and now Harry is training him. Neville is now his apprentice in a way. What goes on between them is strictly their business."

"How can you say that? Look at him, he's exhausted!" Ginny said angrily.

"Trust me on this, Ginny," Pat said soothingly, "You think Harry is being unreasonable right now, but sometimes you have to use undesirable methods to gain the results you want."

Ginny wasn't convinced, but she wisely kept her mouth shut and took off after the boys, Pat following in her wake.

**OoOoOoO**

When they reached Grimmauld Place they immediately paired up for the Aikido training. Harry paired with Sean, as usual, Pat paired up with Ginny, and Neville was taken on by Alan, who was a very patient teacher.

Jack was left without a partner but he didn't mind and began practicing on his own.

The already exhausted Neville had problems with getting the forms right but Alan patiently corrected him again and again till he got it right. By the end of it all he was ready to collapse.

He was thinking longingly of a long hot shower when Harry tapped him on his shoulder.

Neville raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Come on, we need to talk," Harry said quietly, motioning towards the parlour.

Neville didn't particularly want to talk to Harry at the moment, as he was still hurting from Harry's unusual curtness, but he shrugged and followed him without protest.

Once they were seated, Harry cleared his throat, and began. "This is going to be a very hard…"

"Look," Neville interrupted him, "If you don't want to help me, you don't have to. It's okay, I understand."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"In the morning… you said… I know I'm hopeless. You don't need to waste your time on me," Neville said tiredly.

"Shut up," Harry said coldly. "Stop pitying yourself, Neville. It won't help you."

"Pitying myself?" Neville said angrily.

"Yes," Harry replied evenly. "There is nothing wrong with you. You have all your limbs intact, you _do_ have brains, despite many people telling you otherwise, and you have a lot of magical potential. But it's all untapped. You are the son of Frank and Alice Longbottom, two of the best Aurors of their time, how could you not be powerful? Have you ever thought about that?"

Neville looked away, his face trembling with emotion.

"You want to know why I said that to you today morning?" Harry went on, his tone harsh. "Because you thought you couldn't go on. You believed it so firmly that you wouldn't even try. But guess what? You _did_ go on. The moment you stopped thinking about it you did complete the run."

Neville looked up at Harry, his eyes wide with shock.

Harry smiled. "Be proud of yourself, today was your first hurdle and you did very well."

Neville's face lit up at the praise and he smiled back at Harry, the morning's incident totally forgotten.

"Now listen," Harry said seriously, "Bellatrix is a very powerful witch. She has learnt from Voldemort himself. She is sure to have an arsenal of hundreds of spells that you need to have a counter for. Going against her toe to toe in a show of raw power is a bad idea. We need to play to your strengths."

"What strengths?" Neville asked hesitantly.

"You are younger than her, Neville. The stamina and agility you can have is not possible for her. She has been in Azkaban for the past ten years and her body must surely have been affected by this. Also, physically you are much stronger than her, since you are a male. To win against her you will need to use every advantage you have and that's what we will work on."

Neville nodded, a determined glint in his eyes. "I'm ready to work hard, Harry."

"Good," Harry said softly. He took out a vial of purple potion and handed it to Neville. "Here, this will help out a bit with your exhaustion. Don't expect it everyday though."

Neville nodded and then swallowed the potion thankfully. He immediately felt better.

Pat smiled at Ginny as they both walked away from the entrance to the parlour where they had been eavesdropping on the conversation. "Harry is a very unique person, Ginny. He won't ever hurt his friends without a reason."

Ginny nodded, feeling incredibly stupid for having doubted him. Her respect and love for him had risen even higher today, leaving the hole in her heart a little big larger. It didn't help that Pat had trusted him and she hadn't.

She sighed. Maybe he would be better off with the older girl. He deserved someone as special as he was.

**OoOoOoO**

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Sean, Alan, Jack, Fred and George were sitting around after dinner listening to Tonks, Moody, Kingsley and Arthur Weasley discussing the Death Eater situation.

"It's going to backfire on us, all this leniency on the filth," Moody growled. "You put them in prison and they will be broken out every time."

"Leave it, Mad-eye," Kingsley said shaking his head. "You know she's right. We can't execute them. It would make us too much like them."

"Why do they keep breaking out?" Alan asked curiously. "Isn't your prison secure enough?"

"It's the Dementors," Tonks explained, "They were the guardians of Azkaban, but once they joined V-Voldemort our forces were stretched a bit thin. Also none of the Aurors can really match him in terms of sheer magical power. We would need Dumbledore for that and there are good odds that he won't make it there on time."

"It's too bad that you can't suppress his magic," Sean said pensively, "Without that he'd be powerless to attack you."

Hermione suddenly sat up straight, an excited gleam in her eyes. "Of course! That's the answer… The crystals…"

"What are you babbling about, lass?" Moody asked curiously.

Hermione leapt up and ran upstairs, leaving everybody staring at her like she had lost her marbles.

Ron cleared his throat. "Don't worry, she often does that. If I know her she'll be back in a minute, carrying some abnormally thick book, which will explain everything."

True to his prediction, Hermione came down a minute or so later, clutching an old, musty book which had well over a thousand pages. She flipped through it impatiently as she searched for what she was looking for.

"Here it is!" she said triumphantly, putting the book down on the table before the Aurors.

All of them bent forward to see what the page said.

**Hellfire crystal**

**A hellfire crystal is a substance of legendry powers and is considered priceless due to its extreme rarity. It gets its name due to its deep orange and crimson colouring, which makes it look like it is burning from inside.**

**It is said that the hellfire crystal can be used with the ancient bloodmagic ritual – The Demon's Breath, to ward an area against the usage of magic.**

**It is alleged that this ritual was once used by the high mages of Atlantis to ward off the great island against the attacking forces of a rival kingdom.**

Kingsley whistled. "This would solve all our problems, except for the fact that the crystal would be almost impossible to obtain. I've never even heard of it before today."

"It _is_ possible," Hermione said excitedly. "Professor Binns told us that the only known crystal in existence is owned by the Goblins."

"Lass, it would be easier to capture a Nundu single-handedly than to convince the Goblins to give up something that precious. They will never give it to us," Moody said shaking his head dismissively.

"Yes, but what if they _don't_ have to give it up?" Hermione insisted.

"You aren't making sense, Hermione," Mr. Weasley said slowly. "If they don't give it up then how can we use it?"

"Well, if I recall correctly, the Ministry recently passed a law that all possessions of convicted Death Eaters would be seized and handed over to the war effort. What if the Goblins were allowed to keep part of the money and in return they would take over Azkaban and guard the prisoners?" Hermione explained. "The Goblins are known to be a warrior clan and they could easily maintain a prison. Also this way the crystal would never really leave their possession. They themselves would be using it for guarding Azkaban."

Kingsley jerked up in his seat, staring at Hermione in admiration.

Moody's battle worn face twisted into a semblance of a grin. "I think Amelia would definitely be interested in this proposal," he cackled gleefully. "I'm beginning to understand why Potter relies on you lot so much. Maybe we should rethink letting you into the Order."

"I don't think that letting them into the Order is a very good idea, but there is no reason they cannot help us in an unofficial manner," Mr. Weasley said carefully. "But he is right, Hermione, this idea might just change the tide of the war. Ofcourse, there is the problem of the Goblins agreeing and convincing the Wizengamot to pass the necessary laws, but if we are lucky it should all fall into place. I will talk to the Minister tomorrow on what can be done to implement your idea."

Hermione beamed at him happily.

**OoOoOoO**

(Early morning)

Molly Weasley came downstairs to find Harry immersed in reading the Arithmancy notes that Hermione had lent him. She walked over and ruffled his hair lovingly, pressing a soft kiss on his forehead.

"That's quite enough studying, dear," she said firmly. "It's best not to overdo it today. You'll need a clear head for the exam."

Harry sighed. "I don't know if I am ready enough. I need to pass this."

"You'll do fine, dear," Molly said with a gentle smile. "If there was any doubt that you wouldn't pass this then Hermione would have been frantic by now. Seeing as she's sleeping peacefully in her room I am taking it to mean that she thinks you are ready."

Harry shrugged.

"Go on dear, go take a shower and come on down. I'll get started on breakfast."

Harry nodded and after gathering his books made his way upstairs to have his shower.

* * *

When he came back down he found Pat already up and having breakfast.

"Good morning, Harry," she greeted him cheerfully.

Harry nodded to her, acknowledging her greeting. "You ready for the exam?"

Pat shrugged. "I think so. If I'm not ready yet I don't think I ever will be. What about you?"

Harry shrugged. "Don't really know. On one hand I think I'll do okay and on the other hand I think I'll suddenly forget everything and flunk miserably."

"You'll do fine, Harry," a yawning Hermione said, walking in through the door.

"Hello, Hermione," Harry said with a smile. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Are you kidding?" Ron asked from the doorway, looking half asleep and grumpy. "This is like the Quidditch World Cup for her."

Hermione glared at him. "You'll pay for that, Weasley."

Harry snickered. "I can understand her getting up. But what's got you up, sleeping beauty?"

Ron's answer was short and to the point. "Smelt breakfast."

* * *

The rest of the time passed quickly, most of it spent with Hermione who was giving him last minute tips and was running him through what she felt was sure to appear on the exam. Before he knew it Mrs. Weasley was calling him.

"Harry, dear, it's time to go."

Harry entered the hall to find Tonks and Mad-Eye waiting for him. Kingsley and Arthur were sitting at the breakfast table discussing some Auror business.

"How are we getting there?" Harry asked.

"Apparating to Auror Headquarters and we'll head to the Examination Dept. from there," Mad Eye replied.

"What about me?" Pat asked. "I can't apparate."

"Tonks can dual apparate you there," Moody answered. He looked at the clumsy, pink haired Auror for a moment and then changed his mind. "Or maybe it would be best if I took you along. We don't need you to be splinched today."

"Hey!" an outraged Tonks said glaring at Moody. "I've never gotten splinched!"

"True," Moody admitted grudgingly. "Thankfully its one thing you haven't done… yet."

Tonks huffed. "You're always on my case. Tell me one instance where I screwed up in the past year."

Moody stared at her, one thick eyebrow raised up sardonically. "What about the whole mess up while you were staking out the gang that were smuggling those dragon eggs?"

Tonks went red. "That was Hopkins fault!" she screamed. "You can't blame me for that."

"What happened?" Harry asked eagerly, a wicked grin on his face.

It was Kingsley who answered. "She and another rookie Auror named Hopkins were staking out a gang that were believed to be dealing in illegal dragon eggs. They finally thought they had enough evidence and decided to move in and make the arrests. Unfortunately, Tonks here, apparated right on top of the naked gang leader just as he was getting out of the bath. He was rather displeased with the situation and words and hexes were exchanged. Apparently, she made a few very insulting comments about his… uh… reproductive organs. They found a dozen illegal dragon eggs in the house but it was all for naught. The man got a slick lawyer and got off claiming that he was sexually harassed."

Tonks was beet red by this point. "I still say that if Hopkins had given me the correct layout of the house all problems would have been avoided," she mumbled.

Moody just shook his head and walked over to Pat. He motioned for her to grip his arm and she quickly did so. "Hold on tightly now," he warned, before disappearing with a soft pop.

* * *

Harry and Tonks appeared in the Auror Headquarters and found Pat looking around with great curiosity at the bustling room and the glimpses she got of a group of Aurors dueling in the gymnasium, the door of which was slightly open. She probably would have liked to spend hours looking at everything, but unfortunately they didn't have time. Moody took out an old and battered pocket watch from within his robes and after glancing at it hurried them along to the lifts and from there to the Examination department.

At first Harry thought that they had come to the wrong place. The whole room, huge as it was, was crammed with shelves and the shelves were literally overflowing with files and records.

A few tiny desks were crammed here and there and Harry saw harried men and women busy dealing with stacks of paperwork. The paper planes, that was the Ministry's way of sending and receiving messages between Departments, flew in and out of the room.

Moody guided them through the chaos with great ease and into an adjoining room that was bare save for two empty desks and a large table, behind which three examiners were sitting. One of them was Professor Tofty and the other Harry recognized as Pat's Great Grandmother, Griselda Marchbanks.

Pat rushed forward and enveloped the tiny lady in a fierce hug.

"Easy with the hugs," Griselda protested. "My old bones aren't what they once were."

"Oh, go on, you fraud!" Pat said with a grin. "You're not old at all."

Griselda chuckled and looked up to where Mad-Eye, Tonks and Harry were standing.

"Alastor, how's life been treating you? Still terrorizing the new recruits?"

Mad-Eye grinned. "Somebody's got to. They all are in lousy shape. Been sitting on their arses and taking it easy for far too long."

Griselda shook her head and turned to Harry. "Ah, Mr. Potter, I've heard some very interesting things about your exploits at Hogwarts from Albus during Dolores' trial. How is it that you know Patricia?"

"We met at a mutual friend's place, ma'am. In the summers I stay with my relatives who live in the same area. As for whatever you have heard, well… I'd say you'd best take it with a pinch of salt. I've been very lucky on most occasions."

"Polite as well as modest. When are you going to catch a fine wizard like him, Patricia?"

"GRANDMA!" Patricia yelled in a mortified tone.

Griselda just grinned unrepentantly.

Professor Tofty cleared his throat and Griselda sighed. "We can talk later. The examinations will have to be started now as we have to finish the practical and theoretical parts today and then have to send them for grading so that the results can be announced before the start of term."

Mad-Eye nodded. "I'll be back in a couple of hours to pick them up. Tonks, you stay outside and keep watch."

"Sure thing, Mad-Eye," Tonks chirped.

Harry and at headed to the desks in the middle of the room and sat down. A moment later the exam sheets and quills and ink appeared before them.

Pat immediately started looking through her exam and Harry took her cue and bent his head over his Arithmancy theory question paper.

As he read through the questions he felt a jitter in his stomach due to nervousness and his palms started sweating. He wiped them on his robes and picked up his quill determinedly.

He could do this! They had studied all of this.

He began answering the first question and soon lost himself in the exam, filling page after page with answers in his spiky handwriting.

Before he knew it, the exam was over, and after a five minute break, the Ancient Runes exam appeared before him. This one he found relatively harder. They had spent comparatively lesser time on Ancient Runes than on Arithmancy and Harry struggled with more than a few questions.

Pat had already finished her exam, and since Muggle studies didn't have a Practical exam, she was sitting off to a side quietly catching up with her Grandmother, as the other two examiners kept an eye on Harry.

Finally, he finished with the exam, and he felt almost sure he hadn't passed it. There were too many questions he had struggled with and too many of his answers he had been unsure about.

They had a twenty minute break, where Harry took the time to use the loo and devour some sandwiches that Tonks had got for him from the cafeteria, and then the Practicals began.

They were simple. He was given a spell that was broken down to its base and he had to figure out what kind of a spell it was and what it did. Bonus points would be given if he could suggest ways it could be made more powerful. He had half an hour to do this.

Harry started on it and it was obvious to him that the spell was a defensive one. Probably a shield spell. A little more brain racking and he realized that it was the basic _Protego_ shield. He grinned and started looking at the formula trying to see in what ways it could be made stronger.

At the end of half an hour the quizzing began.

"Have you figured it out, Mr. Potter?" Griselda asked.

"It's a shield charm. I'd say most probably the _Protego_ shield," Harry answered confidently.

"Very good, Mr. Potter," Professor Tofty said, sounding pleased with the answer. "Would you like to try for the bonus points?"

Harry nodded slowly. "I think the basic flaw of the spell is that it draws power from the wizard casting it and so it will only be as powerful as the wizard's magic. A more powerful wizard or witch will be able to overpower the shield easily."

The third tester, Henry Fellowes, a man in his early fifties, and by far the youngest of the testers, nodded his head. "That is a fair assessment, Mr. Potter. What do you think can be done to correct the flaw?"

"Well… I dunno if this can be done… But I thought that if there was a way to make it so that the shield drew its power from the spells cast at it, then it would pretty much solve the problem and make the strength of the shield possibly unlimited," Harry offered hesitantly.

"Very good answer, Mr. Potter," Professor Marchbanks said with a small smile. "Unfortunately, that has been tried by many of the top minds of the wizarding world. The runes required to tie such a shield together would have to be immensely powerful, probably only the ancient Elvish runes were capable of generating that much power… but they are lost to us. Any other way of creating the spell makes it too unstable and it has never held up against more than a high powered stunner. There was one instance where a version was created that could have possibly worked… but the magic required to cast the shield was so much that not even Dumbledore or the Dark Lord would have managed the initial casting."

Harry nodded. He felt he had done well enough on the test and would scrape by with an Acceptable.

Next was the Ancient Runes exam and he was given a parchment that had on it a set of runes used to lock one of the chambers of the tomb of one of the lesser Pharaohs of Egypt. His assignment was to replace the rune sequence with a similar one using the Dark Era runes.

This was a very tricky assignment and by the end of the half hour Harry had not managed to complete more than seventy five percent of the assignment. He closed his eyes and sighed. He had failed Ancient Runes for sure.

Moody arrived soon after and they were hustled out of there to return to Grimmauld Place, as it was getting late. Also the tests had to be graded by the three examiners and that would take a lot of time. Pat reluctantly said goodbye to her Great Grandmother, and they left, heading back the same way they had arrived. The results of the exams would be revealed to them on the first day of classes.

**OoOoOoO**

Everybody was gathered around the kitchen having lunch. The elves had made sandwiches and there was fresh, cold, Pumpkin juice.

Fred looked up and cleared his throat. "Professor McGonagall…"

Minerva looked up at him questioningly. "Yes, Mr. Weasley?"

George spoke instead. "Me and Fred were thinking about it… and we decided that we'd like it if we can come back to Hogwarts to finish our final year."

Molly choked on her Pumpkin juice.

"If you are truly interested then I can make arrangements," McGonagall said, eyeing them both suspiciously. "Can I ask what made you want to come back?"

"Harry asked us to come back as a special favor to him. He explained his reasons and they sounded fair to us," Fred said with a shrug.

"Yeah, besides, what's a year anyway?" George put in.

"Oh, Severus is going to love this," McGonagall muttered softly.

Molly, on the other hand, was beaming like the sun on a clear day. She immediately drew both her wayward sons into a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you."

"Gerrof Mom!" Fred said struggling out of the hug.

Ginny leaned closer to Ron and whispered. "Better warn Harry. If Mum sees him she's liable to hug him to death."

Ron nodded in bemusement. He wondered what Harry had said to the two of them to make them agree to go back.

"So, who is going to look after the store with you two at school?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Dunno, I suppose Lee will still be there to help out," Fred replied thoughtfully.

"Actually, we were hoping to offer Percy the post of Manager for the chain. If you'll accept, that is," Bill said quietly.

Percy spluttered. "Me? Why me? I don't know anything about joke shops and pranking."

"You don't need to. The inventing will be done by these two clowns," Bill said waving towards Fred and George. "You will be handling the more technical parts. There needs to be somebody sensible handling the strings behind the scene."

Percy looked lost. "I… I don't know what to say."

Bill smiled. "Say yes. We need you right now, and this job won't be a bad thing for you either. Centaur Liaisons is no place for a Weasley."

Percy nodded, a small smile lighting up his face.

**OoOoOoO**


	23. All Hell Breaks Loose

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (20)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary: **Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - to find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** No, I don't own Harry Potter. I just write fanfics for fun and make absolutely no money out of it. It all belongs to the great J. K. Rowling.

**OoOoOoO **

**All Hell Breaks Loose**

**OoOoOoO**

Harry sat at the breakfast table with Pat and Hermione, eating calmly, as all around them chaos raged.

It was Sept. 1, and as usual, none of the Weasleys were ready. All over the house they ran, in a mad scramble to find everything and pack it. Tempers were on an all time high.

"Muuuum!" Ginny wailed, "I can't find my Quidditch robes."

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Check properly, Ginny, they must be right there."

"I did check! They are gone."

"Honestly, you are so irresponsible, Ginevra," Mrs. Weasley said irritably. "It would serve you right if you had to go to Hogwarts without them."

"But without them I won't be allowed to play Quidditch!" Ginny said in a horrified tone.

"Then that will teach you to pack earlier next time, won't it?" her mother reprimanded.

"Hey, mum, did you happen to see our samples of Lethifold skin lying around anywhere?" Fred inquired.

"No, dear," Mrs. Weasley said absently, as she bent under the bed to retrieve Ginny's missing robes. "Wait a minute… _Lethifold_ skin?" she said standing up suddenly and banging her head painfully on the underside of the bed.

"Ouch… careful mum, that looked painful."

"Fredrick Weasley!" Molly Weasley screamed, "What are you doing messing around with Lethifold skin? It's a restricted item."

A bemused Neville joined them at the breakfast table. "Is it always like this?"

Harry grinned. "Oh, yes, usually it's worse." This year he had no need to pack as Dobby and Winky had done everything for him. Hermione, sensible as always, had packed last night before going to bed, as had Pat.

Harry went back to his breakfast, wondering how the last few days had flown by so quickly. Sean, Jack and Alan had returned home last night, after promises had been made to them that he and Pat would stay in touch through Owl post and plans had been made to spend Christmas together.

It was something Harry was already looking forward to. They had become very good friends over the summer, and Harry knew that he would miss all three of them while he was at Hogwarts.

"RONALD WEASLEY!" Mrs. Weasley yelled, flicking her wand and sending an icy stream of water at her wayward youngest son. "What are you still doing in bed? And you haven't even packed yet!"

"What the… Muuuuum! That water is freezing!" Ron yelled.

"Get up and get packed right away, unless you want to stay home this year," His mother retorted in a no nonsense tone, sounding like she was at the end of her patience.

Five minutes later Ron's harried voice was heard moaning.

"Arghhh... I can't find my prefect badge."

Harry couldn't resist poking fun at him. "You lost your _prefect_ badge? Boy, you're in trouble. I bet Hermione won't allow you to kiss her for months now."

Ron just gave him the finger, which Mrs. Weasley unfortunately saw. "Do you want me to cut that finger off, Ronald Weasley?"

Ron spluttered and blushed a deep red.

He was saved by George casually tossing him his badge. "There you go, Ronniekins, I saw it lying around. Better pin it on, lest you lose it again."

A flustered Ron mumbled his thanks and pinned it on absently. A second later his skin turned a bright shade of orange.

Ron didn't even notice, as he was busy looking around for his copy of _Chuddley Cannons: Strategies and plays._

Mrs. Weasley, however, noticed immediately.

"George Weasley! You turn your brother back to normal at once!"

Ron looked up at that and quickly realized that he had been pranked. He started screaming at George at the same time as his mother, creating such a big racket, that the portrait of the late Mrs. Black would have turned green with envy.

He was even angrier when he found out that the spell would last for a few hours and could not be cancelled. He demanded that Fred and George be turned an unnatural colour too, if he had to look like this. Fred and George looked only too pleased at this and Mrs. Weasley quickly shot down that idea. She wasn't going to escort three rainbow coloured sons to the station, one was bad enough.

"I can't go to Hogwarts like this!" Ron moaned.

Molly Weasley had completely lost her temper by this point. "Fine," she snapped. "Don't go to Hogwarts. You can stay here for the rest of the year."

A very pissed off Ron reluctantly stomped up the stairs to finish his packing.

Finally, after multiple threats, screaming, and some much appreciated help from the two house-elves, they were ready to leave. A very orange Ron was steaming. Because of the delay in his packing he didn't have time for any breakfast.

Moody handed all of them a Portkey necklace to wear around their necks. "At the first hint of trouble you lot are to activate your portkeys and get out. They will take you straight to the Headmaster's office."

"Yes, Mad-eye," they all dutifully replied.

Moody grinned. "And remember…"

Harry cut him off. "We know, we know, CONSTANT VIGILANCE."

"That's right, lad," Moody said with a grin.

They all piled into two Ministry provided cars and headed off towards King's Cross.

**OoOoOoO**

They arrived at King's Cross just ten minutes before the train was due to leave. The group got their share of strange looks from people passing by, what with Ron a hideous orange, the flashy Dragon hide jackets the twins wore and the Owls in their cages.

Molly and the twins went first, followed by Pat, Neville and Hermione. Ron, who was getting tired of all the attention rushed at the barrier next, and here was when things started going wrong. Ron's trunk fell out of the trolley and burst open, spewing everything out on the platform for people to see. Pig's indignant hoots attracted even more attention from the Muggles and soon a crowd of them had gathered around to see what the fuss was all about.

Remus slapped a hand on his forehead and Moody looked fit to murder Ron. There was no way to explain the magical books, cauldron, broom and other clearly magical artefacts to the muggles. Some minor memory modification would have to be done.

"You, start picking up your stuff and putting it back into the trunk," Moody barked, pointing at Ron. "And you two, get going, no reason you both should miss the train just because your brother is a clumsy oaf."

"It was a mistake!" Ron protested.

"Be quiet, and do as you are told, lad!" Moody growled.

Harry and Ginny quickly made their way through the barrier, leaving the two irate Order members and Ron behind.

But the bad day was not over yet. The first faces they saw on the other side were Draco Malfoy and his cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.

Draco sneered at Harry. "I saw the Mudblood and wondered where you were, Potty. For a moment I almost thought you were skipping the year and hiding. Not that I would be surprised, now that the Dark Lord is back you won't be alive much longer."

Harry shook his head in amusement. "Really cocky, aren't you? Forgotten the hexing you got on the return trip last year?"

"Laugh away, Potty. My father's out of Azkaban now. It won't be long before you get yours. You and your blood traitor friends."

Harry simply smiled. "I'm glad he was broken out. Now the Aurors can kill him on sight. A permanent solution to the problem."

"Like your dogfather, you mean?" Draco sneered.

Harry tensed, but Ginny put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "No, Harry, don't lose your temper. It's what he wants." she whispered in his ear.

Harry nodded and began to walk on, keeping a tight reign on his temper.

"I heard the Dark Lord had your half-breed friend thrown to the manticores. They had a _giant_ feast," Draco said malevolently, his voice carrying through the air.

Harry stopped, his body tense and unmoving.

"All of your friends will go one by one. I hope the Dark Lord gives the mudblood to me, I…"

Draco never got to finish what he was saying, as the next moment he found himself lying on the floor, nursing a broken jaw. He gazed up into cold emerald green eyes that were blazing with anger.

Harry suddenly felt a heavy hand fall on his shoulder. He brought his elbow up viciously and smashed it into throat of his assailant. Vincent Crabbe bent over, clutching his throat, trying desperately to breathe. Harry lifted his leg and brought it down on Crabbe's left kneecap, breaking it in the process.

Crabbe keeled over with an anguished scream.

The next moment Harry felt a hard blow land on his temple, with enough force to make him see stars. He felt, rather than saw, the next punch coming and his seeker reflexes kicked in. He swirled around quickly and caught the descending fist. Then he fell backwards on to the ground, pulling Goyle forward by using his own body weight against him. Harry finished off by placing his two feet on Goyle's stomach and adding a hard push, while letting Goyle's fist go at the same time.

Goyle sailed over Harry's body and crashed headlong into a carriage of the Hogwart's Express with a tremendous crash. He wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

All of this happened so fast that Ginny didn't even have a chance to react. But she recovered quickly, and rushed towards Harry to stop him. Molly, Pat, Hermione and the others had heard the commotion, and they too were running towards them.

Harry got up swiftly and charged at Draco, just as the blond Slytherin cast a sickly looking green spell at him. He barely managed to get out of the way. The next moment he was standing before Draco and he grabbed the wrist that was holding the wand and twisted it violently.

Draco screamed and dropped the wand.

Harry was just about to raise his fist to drive it into the blond ferret's face when Ginny caught him and pulled him back. She was joined by Pat, Fred, George, Hermione, Neville and Molly.

"No, Harry, you'll kill him like this," Pat said urgently, trying to talk some sense into the enraged Boy-who-lived.

Just then Remus and Moody came through the barrier, escorting a sheepish Ron. A quick look around was enough to tell them all they needed to know.

"I… I'll kill you, Potter. You're dead," Draco screamed in rage. "You and every one of your filthy friends."

Harry struggled mightily, trying to get back at Draco and beat him into the ground with his fists. His struggles were in vain though, as too many people were holding on to him to restrain him.

"The dog and the giant had it easy, but the rest of the filth will die much more slowly and painfully. You'll be last, Potter, you'll beg for death by the time the Dark Lord is done with you," Draco said, almost frothing from the mouth with anger.

Harry struggled harder, murder in his eyes.

Narcissa Malfoy had just returned from talking to Juliet Nott and she was stunned at the scene before her. Her son was standing up shakily, blood flowing from his mouth, and screaming at Harry Potter, who was restrained by atleast half a dozen people.

"I heard that the mudblood Jones screamed like a whore while they raped her. And they tortured Longbottom's Granny till her vocal chords gave out. It won't be too long before all of them are killed."

Narcissa gasped in horror. What was the little fool thinking? There were Aurors around, and they were sure to be very interested in some of Draco's words. Lucius would not spare him this time. But she soon forgot all about this line of thinking, as a second later a huge blast of raw magic flew out of Harry Potter and knocked all of the people holding him to the floor.

Harry was murderously angry and he went after Draco, hammering his fist into his face with all his strength. Draco fought back, but Harry brushed aside his blows like they were nothing. His rage was driving him at the moment and he was past caring about pain and consequences. All he wanted to feel was the satisfying feeling of his fist hammering into Draco's body.

Draco could not match the sheer force of Harry's blows and soon he was driven to his knees, whimpering for Harry to stop.

Narcissa raised her wand swiftly, a lethal curse on her lips, when a hard wand jabbed her on her neck. "Finish the spell and you'll die before you see the result," Alastor Moody hissed furiously.

The ones that had fallen on the floor had gotten up hurriedly and rushed at Harry, dragging him off Draco by force.

"Calm down, lad," Moody thundered, walking upto the restrained Harry. "Or I'll stun you till you reach Hogwarts."

Harry slowly settled down. It was evident to everybody that he was making an almost inhuman effort to control his anger.

Draco looked up at Harry, his eyes filled with equal parts of loathing and fear.

"You just don't know when to stop, do you, Malfoy?" Harry spat angrily. "Next time you'll think twice before you needle me."

"I'm going to report you to the Aurors, boy!" Narcissa Malfoy screamed furiously. "You'll be in Azkaban before the sun sets."

Moody turned his gaze upon the proud matriarch of the Malfoy family. "The Aurors are also very interested to know how that spawn of yours knows of the deaths of Hestia Jones and Augusta Longbottom. Think about that before you do anything foolish."

Narcissa Malfoy paled. Moody's words had hit right on target and she knew that there was nothing she could do. She shot Draco a disappointed glare.

"Mrs. Malfoy," Harry said in a low, furious tone. "I am fully aware that you know where your husband is. Be so kind as to pass this little message of mine to him - Tell him that before this war is over I will kill him. Tell him to snivel before his half-blooded master or bring along as many Death Eater friends as he wants for his protection. His time is over."

Narcissa looked at him, smiling coldly. "Very big words, Potter. Let's see if you live upto them."

Harry looked back at her, his hard eyes locked with her cold grey ones. She looked away first. There was too much power in those eyes, and she was Slytherin enough to see it and know when to back off.

"One more thing," Harry said softly. "The day I find a dark mark on Draco's arm I'll kill him where he stands and no one will be able to stop me. I promise you this."

Saying this, he shrugged off the hands holding him and moved to his trolley, walking through the gathered crowd briskly.

And like every other time, the whispers followed him all the way to his carriage at the end of the train.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry was sitting by the window, his head pressed to the cold pane of glass. He vaguely felt Ron and the others enter and sit down around him. He was in no mood to talk to anybody, the anger was still too close to the surface.

The minutes passed in silence and suddenly he felt the train start to move. He sat back, leaning his head on the seat and staring at the ceiling.

The silence was suddenly disrupted by Ron exclaiming. "That was bloody brilliant!"

Harry slowly looked down, meeting Ron's eyes, unable to believe the uttered statement.

"I mean… he had it coming to him for years. Maybe now he will stop strutting around like he usually does," Ron went on, grinning brightly.

Harry got up swiftly and left the compartment, slamming the door behind him.

"What the…" Ron exclaimed in shock. "Did I say something wrong?"

Hermione moaned in dismay.

"Ron, what happened out there was not a good thing, and Harry isn't happy with what he did," Pat said softly.

"But why? You heard what that ferret was saying, he deserved what he got," Ron protested.

"He could have killed him, Ron," Pat said exasperatedly. "What Harry has been learning can be lethal when used in anger. That boy might have been an idiot, but killing him for it is not something one can do."

"I still say he had it coming. I mean, you heard him, if things go wrong he'll probably be there first in line to torture one of us," Ron said stubbornly.

"And _that's_ what makes us different from them, Ron," Hermione said in a biting tone. "If he had died today, Harry would have been behind bars. You can't kill a person for insulting you or making threats."

Pat got up, followed by Ginny, both of them thinking about going to look for Harry.

"I'm going to look for him," Pat said tiredly, "Be back soon."

Ginny slowly sat back down. Pat was probably the best person to go to Harry, anyway, she thought sadly. She was the one he loved, after all.

**OoOoOoO**

Pat went around the train, peeking into the compartments. Harry wasn't in any one of them. She finally found him in a small baggage compartment, sitting slumped on the floor.

She nimbly sat down beside him.

"Want to talk about it?" she asked.

"Not really," he said with a tired sigh.

"Too bad," she said sternly. "I expected better of you, Harry."

Harry looked up at her, anger shining from his eyes. "I'm not in the mood for a lecture, Pat," he said in a warning tone.

"You're going to get one anyway," Pat said coolly. "And don't you dare look at me like that, Harry Potter, I am not afraid of you. In case you have forgotten, I can still kick your arse."

Harry looked away.

"You could have killed him," she said, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I wanted to. For a moment, I wanted to," Harry admitted.

"You have to learn control, Harry. He isn't a Death Eater, not yet anyway," Pat said softly.

"I know."

"I need you to promise me that this won't ever happen again, or else I can't teach you anymore," she continued sadly.

Harry nodded. "I'll try harder. I have to. It was just… for a moment there I just… hearing him say all of that…" Harry said slowly, shaking his head, his hands rubbing his brow tiredly. "If he said anything to me I wouldn't have minded… but… "

"I know," Pat said gently.

Suddenly Mad-Eye poked his head into the door of the carriage. "You're to portkey to Hogwarts, Dumbledore's orders."

Harry nodded and said the activation phrase, disappearing from the moving Hogwarts Express soundlessly.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry felt the Portkey drag him through space and then deposit him smoothly in Dumbledore's office. It looked the same as it had all summer and it gave him a familiar feeling of comfort.

He lifted his eyes to see the Headmaster sipping a cup of tea and looking at him serenely.

"Do you need to go see Madam Pomfrey, Harry?" he asked quietly.

"No, Professor, I'm fine," Harry replied.

"Have a seat, then. Would you like some tea?" Dumbledore said with a small smile.

"I'd just like to get it over with. I know you're disappointed in me, so go ahead, yell at me if you like. Punish me, if you must," Harry said, looking at his hands as he spoke, as if he suddenly found them fascinating.

"I did not call you here to berate you or to punish you, Harry. Your conscience, as ever, is very powerful and will punish you as it deems appropriate. But I would like to impart a bit of wisdom to you," Dumbledore said gently.

Harry nodded. "I'll be glad to listen to what you have to say."

"Firstly, let me say that you have taken a step backwards today, in regards to winning this war," Dumbledore said gravely

"Really? I thought that it might have sent a message to the Death Eaters that we are ready and willing to fight back."

"Except for the fact that Mr. Malfoy is not a Death Eater," Dumbledore replied dryly.

"Oh, come on, Professor. He's as good as. He probably will get the mark as soon as he can."

"But until he does there is still a small chance that he might choose another path," Dumbledore pointed out.

Harry laughed bitterly. "You are far more optimistic than I am. I think he's a hopeless case. He's always been eager to serve Voldemort."

"What you say might be true, Harry. Perhaps there is very little chance for Mr. Malfoy to change his ways. But as long as there is even a small chance of redeeming him we must make every effort to try and give him our support."

"I don't see your point. He has made the choice of his path a long time ago and has made it widely known, so why bother with trying to accomplish the impossible?"

"Because every person we manage to help see the light is one person less that is standing at the other end of the battlefield. It is one person less that you might have to kill," Dumbledore said slowly.

The silence in the room stretched on for a few minutes as Harry struggled to digest this statement.

Finally, he looked back at the Headmaster, the reality of it hitting him hard. He realized that he would have to kill many of the Death Eaters, and the more people he had to kill, the more blood that would be on his hands. So far he had only thought about Voldemort and a few of his Inner Circle. But he realized that to get to Voldemort he would have to wade through a sea of Death Eaters.

He covered his face in his hands, pressing them against his eyes. He didn't need to think of this right now.

"Harry, another thing that makes me very apprehensive is the way you lost your temper today. I understand that Mr. Malfoy said a few very hurtful things to you, things that you were unable to bear quietly. But Mr. Malfoy is a rank amateur compared to some of the Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. When you face them they will try their best to unsettle you, to make you lose control. Every mistake you make will be used against you, every weakness will be exploited. And you won't be able to use your anger to win."

Harry nodded, feeling the weight on his shoulders increase by the minute.

"Voldemort will surely learn of today's incident, and the next time you meet, you can expect him to use this against you. I realize that this is very difficult for you, but you need to learn to keep your emotions under control. It will be the first step to your becoming ready to defeat Voldemort."

"I understand, Professor."

"Try and understand one thing, Harry," Dumbledore went on, "When people say hurtful things they say it because they want a negative reaction from you. They want to hurt you and when they see that their words have unsettled you it gives them the satisfaction they were seeking. But if you show them no reaction then you have won. They didn't get what they were after."

"I understand, Professor, really I do. If anybody says anything about me I would mostly ignore it. I have learnt to. But when he said all those things about Hagrid and the others… I couldn't stand it."

Harry rubbed a hand over his eyes wearily. "I… I've been having nightmares about it… seeing them die… it just makes me feel so helpless. And when he said those things I just wanted to destroy him… destroy him for naming all my deepest fears."

Dumbledore looked at him sharply. "Nightmares? How long have you been having them? Is it possible they are from Voldemort?"

"All summer," Harry said reluctantly. "And no, I practice my Occlumency before sleeping, so I don't think it's him."

"I'll have Madam Pomfrey give you some Dreamless sleep potion," Dumbledore said gently.

Harry shook his head. "It's best I don't. I can't take it everyday anyway."

"Do you have them everyday, then?" Dumbledore asked, looking very worried.

Harry shrugged.

Dumbledore frowned. "Why didn't you tell somebody about this, Harry?"

"Why? It's not like anybody can help."

"That's a very silly view to take, my boy. We are here for you and we love you. Telling us things like this isn't a weakness, Harry, everybody needs people to lean on. It's when you think you can go the distance alone when you start choosing the wrong paths."

"I… I didn't want to be a nuisance," Harry said in a small voice.

"You are never a nuisance. Don't ever believe that," Dumbledore said firmly.

"Professor, is it possible… do you think…"

"Yes?"

"Can… Can I have a private room this year? I'd really appreciate it."

Dumbledore frowned for a second, and looked at Harry shrewdly.

"I suppose you could use the Gryffindor Head Boy dormitory," he said finally. "Which brings me to the next topic. Professor Snape has told me that he has agreed to assist you with the DA. I must say I am very pleased at your choice. The meetings will be held an hour after dinner in the Great Hall, once every other day of the week."

Harry nodded. "That sounds fine."

Dumbledore inclined his head. "In order to make sure that you have adequate control over the club, you will be given the designation of Assistant Professor during the meetings. You will have the authority to assign detentions and deduct points, within reasonable limits."

Harry goggled at him. "Is that really necessary, Professor?"

"I believe so," Dumbledore said calmly.

"Well, thank you, Professor. I'll do my best not to abuse the position."

"I have full faith in you," Dumbledore said, his eyes losing their gravity of the past half hour and twinkling faintly.

**OoOoOoO**

They used the next couple of hours practising Occlumency. Dumbledore was very pleased with Harry's progress and he felt it was time they moved on to the next stage of Occlumency – creating false memories.

"This part of Occlumency requires great concentration, Harry," Dumbledore said with an encouraging smile. "You need to give attention to the smallest details, or else there is a good chance that the invader will find out that the memory is false."

Harry nodded.

"Now, close your eyes and imagine this scene. We are sitting, in this very office. It is late afternoon and I am telling you that Voldemort has gotten his hands on the Philosopher's stone. Can you do that?"

"I think so," Harry said, a determined look on his face.

"Ok, tell me when you are ready."

Harry closed his eyes and tried to imagine the scene as Dumbledore had described it. He tried to visualize the office as he remembered it, paying attention to tiny details.

"I think I'm ready, Professor."

The first try was a disaster. Harry was unable to maintain the illusion as Dumbledore entered his mind, and all the Headmaster got was random images.

Dumbledore just smiled and told Harry to try again.

By the end of two hours Harry had gotten a little better at it, but he was still not able to add the small details to his memories. But Dumbledore was very pleased with him anyway.

"You have progressed further than I thought you would, Harry. Just practise everyday. Imagine a scene and add as much detail as you can think of to it. Eventually it will come more naturally to you."

His fireplace suddenly flared green. "The students will be here within five minutes, Headmaster," McGonagall's voice floated out.

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall. We shall be down in a few moments," Dumbledore replied amiably.

He turned to Harry. "Time to head down to the feast, Harry. I hope you will think very carefully about all I have discussed with you today."

Harry looked back at him determinedly. "I will, Professor."

"Very well, then, let's head down, shall we?" Dumbledore said ushering Harry out of his office.

**OoOoOoO**

Harry took a seat towards the end of the Gryffindor table and waited for Ron, Hermione and the others to trickle in. He was hoping for the feast to get over soon, as he really wasn't looking forward to the entire school gawking at him. He knew that Dumbledore's announcements would only make the spotlight on him even brighter.

He decided that since he was alone he might as well try and work on his Occlumency. It would keep him occupied and hopefully he would be able to tune out the annoying whispering that was sure to take place when the students arrived.

He began to try and add details to the scene they were working on in Dumbledore's office. He soon realized that it was incredibly difficult to get people right. The posture, mannerisms, and the way they spoke, etc. It all ended up coming out incorrectly, and creating a very unrealistic memory at times.

He realized that the only solution to this was to be more observant. Most people hardly paid attention to the small details. It was the whole that they saw, and consequently it was very hard to replicate.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the students arriving and it was only when Hermione nudged him on his shoulder that he realized that they were there.

"Oh, hello, didn't notice you come in," he said sheepishly.

"That's because you were day dreaming, mate," Ron said with a grin. "What were you thinking about anyway?"

"Just something related to Occlumency," Harry said with a shrug.

"Was Dumbledore mad? Are you in any trouble?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"No, not really mad," Harry reassured her. "I just think he was a bit disappointed, really."

"Oh, Harry, that's great! I was so worried you'd be expelled," Hermione said smiling happily.

Harry just shook his head. Hermione would never change. She still thought that being expelled was worse than any other fate.

"Where's Pat?" Harry asked suddenly.

"She went with McGonagall," Ginny replied. "She'll be sorted with the firsties to see which dorm she'll be boarding in for the year."

Ron's stomach chose this moment to growl loudly. "I wish they'd hurry up already. I'm starving!" he moaned.

They all ignored him. This was Ron's usual complaint every year.

Soon enough, the group of nervous first years were led in by McGonagall and the sorting started.

"Hey, isn't that Emmeline Vance?" Ginny said suddenly, pointing towards the staff table. "Do you reckon she's our DADA Professor?"

Harry shrugged. "I suppose she must be."

"This is great!" Hermione squealed. "I heard rumours that she is an Unspeakable. We are sure to learn a lot from her."

Harry nodded absently. He was getting annoyed at all the pointing and whispering and was trying hard to ignore it. Many of the Slytherin's were giving him hostile glares. In fact, if looks could kill, he'd already be dead ten times over, judging by the deadly glare Pansy Parkinson was giving him.

Finally the last first year was sorted and it was Pat's turn. She hesitantly walked forward and put on the hat. The hat was silent for a few seconds before it resoundingly yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR."

Harry found himself up on his feet and cheering, along with the twins, Hermione, Ron and Ginny.

Pat just beamed and headed over to join them at the table.

The feast started a few seconds later and Ron attacked the food like he had been starved for a week. Hermione scrunched up her nose at the way he was shovelling in the food into his mouth.

"Yeah, it's hard to imagine that you actually allow that mouth of his to exchange fluids with yours, isn't it? Ginny said wickedly.

Hermione gave her a deadly glare and promptly whacked the tiny redhead across the back of her head.

Ginny pouted. "That's not nice."

"So, what exactly did you and Dumbledore talk about for so long?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Just some things I needed to know," Harry said shrugging.

"That means you're not going to tell us, right?" Ginny said wryly.

"That means it's nothing you need to know," Harry agreed. "But we did discuss a few things regarding the DA. I suppose you'll know more after the feast."

Soon, even Ron's appetite was sated, and the plates cleared up.

Dumbledore got to his feet, a large smile on his face.

"Welcome back, all of you. I hope you have come back from the holidays well rested and eager to learn. Now, I know you all must be very tired and so I'll just make a few short announcements and then you can head to bed."

The tired students tried to fight off their sleep and leaned forward to hear what Dumbledore had to say.

"I'd like you all to extend a warm welcome to our new Professor for Defence against the Dark Arts, Miss Emmeline Vance."

There was scattered applause from the House tables, as nobody really knew too much about her and after the previous Defence Professors they had over the years, they were more than a bit wary. Harry and the Gryffindor group made up for this by cheering loudly, earning them a small smile from Emmeline.

"I'd also like to welcome back Professor Grubbly Plank, who has consented to taking over the position of Care of Magical Creatures Professor."

There was a bit more enthusiastic clapping this time. A lot of people who took Care of Magical Creatures had been tired of Hagrid and his dangerous beasts and were glad to see another year with Grubbly Plank, who was a popular teacher. Harry closed his eyes, memories of Hagrid's death painfully flashing before his eyes.

A moment later he felt Hermione's hand resting on his shoulder, squeezing it softly.

"Mr Filch has told me to remind you that the usage of magic is banned in the corridors. He also has asked me to tell you that every item on the newly opened Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes is hereby banned, among other items. For the full list you may visit his office."

The twins burst out laughing at this, earning them a glare from Professor McGonagall.

"The Forbidden Forest is strictly off limits, and anybody caught venturing there will be very severely punished."

Harry sighed. That was one part of Hogwarts that worried him greatly. If an attack was to occur the chances were great that it would occur from there.

"This year there will be an official Dueling Club run at Hogwarts. The sessions will be held an hour after dinner on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It is open to all students. Teaching this club will be Assistant Professor Harry Potter and our very own Severus Snape. I hope all of you attend and take full advantage of this opportunity."

Harry felt the entire school gaze at him and he gave them a small forced smile.

"Assistant Professor!" Hermione squealed excitedly.

"Snape!" Ron said in horror. "Mate, why did you agree to him? Surely Dumbledore would have got somebody else if you had protested a bit more."

"Actually, Ron, I asked Professor Snape to help out," Harry said quietly.

Ron goggled at him, unable to believe his ears.

Thankfully, he was saved by McGonagall arriving. "Come along, Potter, I'll show you your quarters."

"Quarters?" Ginny asked curiously.

"As an Assistant Professor he has been given the privilege of having his own rooms," McGonagall replied crisply.

Harry got up and gave his friends a small smile. "Good night. I'll see you lot at breakfast. Pat, Gin, Neville, I'll see you in the Gryffindor Common room at five sharp?"

"See you then, Harry," Neville said with a smile.

"Works for me, Harry," Pat replied.

Ginny nodded. "Sure, I'll be there."

**OoOoOoO**


	24. Interlude 04

**Title: **The Darkest Hour (Interlude 04)

**Author name:** Ham

**Summary: **Harry is back in Privet Drive just a few days after the happenings in the Department of Mysteries. He is struggling to cope with his loss and the immense burden placed on him. He suddenly finds it very hard to go on - to find a reason to live. Will his task break his spirit? After all he is just a sixteen year old...

He knows that he must fight. Knows that he has to win at all costs. But he knows that if he even is to have a slim chance of defeating Voldemort he will need to make some hard decisions. Decisions that would hurt him and those close to him.

But will Harry be able to take the hard road back when he finally realizes that his decisions only made him weaker? That they took away his only reason to live. His only reason to fight.

**DISCLAIMER:** No, I don't own Harry Potter. I just write fanfics for fun and make absolutely no money out of it. It all belongs to the great J. K. Rowling.

Thanks as usual to my brilliant beta Tricia (MuggleMomma).

**OoOoOoO**

**Interlude 04**

**OoOoOoO**

Narcissa Malfoy sat quietly in a chair by Draco's bedside as the Healer worked on him. Her usually sharp mind was in turmoil.

Today's encounter with Potter had made a few things very clear to her. The boy had power, no doubt about that. She had never felt so much magic in the air around anybody other than that old fool Dumbledore and the Dark Lord himself.

Narcissa Malfoy was a true Slytherin; over the years she had done her research on the Dark Lord and knew all about his origins and had more than a few ideas about his intentions. She knew that all of the Pureblood Supremacy he preached was just a sham to mask his real goals. Narcissa also knew that the Dark Lord was very powerful and that his power went hand in hand with his cunning and ruthlessness. Nobody who had stood against him had survived, save Dumbledore.

Dumbledore, however… he was another kettle of fish. The Headmaster made the Dark Lord nervous, and it was something that was known but never talked about within the ranks of the Death Eaters. For some reason, however, in all the years of the war Dumbledore had never tried to kill the Dark Lord. Some took it as proof that Dumbledore had lost his edge and he didn't have it in him to kill anymore. Others believed that perhaps he wasn't powerful enough to kill the Dark Lord.

Then there was Potter. His mention alone was enough to send the Dark Lord and most of the Death Eaters into fits of rage. He had managed to repeatedly trip up so many of the Dark Lord's plans. Some believed that he was unnaturally lucky. She had spent years listening to her husband and son rant about him and most others had dismissed him as an overly lucky, average-powered brat who just wouldn't die.

Then there was that mysterious prophecy that involved him and the Dark Lord. It was now almost impossible to know what it said, since her husband and a bunch of other Death Eaters had failed to lay their hands on it. They had paid for it, too; the Dark Lord didn't tolerate failure.

She had wondered privately whether the prophecy was about the fact that Potter might be the one who was meant to fight the Dark Lord. Maybe that's why Dumbledore had never tried to kill Voldemort. When she had shared these views with Lucius he had just laughed.

"That brat is a nobody, Narcissa. One of these days his luck will run out and the Dark Lord will crush him like the insignificant pest that he is."

She had shrugged it off and put the thought out of her mind. But today, after the encounter, she wasn't that sure about Potter being insignificant.

The boy had definite power and the look in his eyes had made it clear that he would use it to kill, too. But he had a long way to go, yet. He was not in control of his temper and still behaved like a brash teenager. The Dark Lord had years of knowledge over him. He had delved so deep into the Dark Arts that few in history could come close to his breadth of knowledge. Even considering that, however, Potter was somebody to keep an eye on. He might not be ready yet, but things could change. The boy had Dumbledore on his side and Narcissa now realized that the balance could tip at any time.

One thing was clear to her, though: her son would never be a match for Potter. She would have to make sure to drill it into Draco's head to leave the boy alone.

Narcissa sighed. Her son was a disappointment to her, truth be told, and for this she lay the blame firmly on Lucius' shoulders. From an early age he had drilled into Draco's head all the prejudices and hate that he himself followed. In reward for learning those early lessons so very well, their son had been pampered and spoiled until even Narcissa found it to be excessive. What this led to was that Draco never thought for himself and had tried to mould himself into a clone of Lucius. The problem with this was that Draco didn't have Lucius' power or the intelligence to pull it off, so the end result was less than satisfactory.

Theirs had been a loveless marriage, one more for convenience rather than love. Narcissa had never dwelt on it for too long. Love was unnecessary and overrated in her opinion. Her Slytherin side had craved power and recognition. Money, too, had always been a requirement.

For years she had lived a life of sheer luxury, hobnobbing with the elite of the wizarding world, the envy of most of her peers, but now things were falling apart. Her husband was a criminal on the run and if caught he would be sent to Azkaban for life. Their money and property might be seized by the Ministry if certain things ever came out. Everything now hinged on the Dark Lord winning this war and suddenly she wasn't too sure about that.

Another thing that she couldn't stand was the fact that Draco was well on the path to taking the mark. She didn't want her son to be part of the war, especially now that the Aurors had the authority to kill in defense. Her arguments to Lucius on the subject were totally ignored and this made her more than a little furious.

She wasn't going to lose everything just because her husband had decided to follow Voldemort. She had spent too many years setting things up and making her own place in society to lose it all now.

She looked up when she heard Draco snarling, "Aren't you done yet?"

The Healer looked at him disapprovingly. "Healing a broken jaw is a delicate procedure, Mr. Malfoy, and it would help if you would refrain from speaking."

"Maybe it would help if I got someone more qualified than an incompetent Mudblood like you," Draco sneered.

The Healer stopped what she was doing and looked at him coldly. "Maybe that would be for the best. I certainly don't want to waste my time treating an obnoxious little brat like you."

"Draco, apologize," Narcissa said sternly.

"What? But…" Draco said angrily.

"Now," Narcissa said in a firm, no nonsense manner.

Draco angrily muttered an apology and the Healer began to work on his jaw again, making no attempt to be as gentle as she had been before Draco's outburst. He was healed in a little under a minute and after giving Narcissa a cursory nod, she left.

"That bitch, she purposely made it more painful. She'll get hers when the Dark Lord takes over," Draco muttered sullenly.

Narcissa looked at him in disgust. "I'm ashamed of you at times, Draco. You really think the Dark Lord cares about your petty vendettas? The way you act sometimes makes it seem as if you have no breeding. I know I taught you better than that."

"Are you taking that Mudblood's side?" Draco retorted angrily.

"She was doing her job, and there was no reason to insult her. You got yourself into this mess, so don't take it out on the wrong people. I'm disgusted at the control you have over your temper; it reminds me of a first year Gryffindor throwing a tantrum."

Draco looked outraged at this.

"That's not fair, Mother," Draco replied, his voice cold with anger. "As for today's incident, Potter will get what's coming to him. I'll take care of him for good this time."

"You will do nothing," Narcissa said in a low, furious tone. "You know the Dark Lord's orders; Potter isn't to be touched until he feels it's the right time. You're already in a lot of trouble for what happened today. When your father hears how you were spouting your mouth off about incidents nobody else was supposed to know, and in front of Aurors, no less, he won't spare you."

Fear flashed across Draco's face for a moment before he shrugged it off. "I don't care. Potter has crossed me for the last time. He will pay with his life for it."

Narcissa grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him roughly. "You will do as I say or I will remove you from Hogwarts. Is that clear, boy?"

Draco didn't answer.

"Is that clear or not? Answer me," Narcissa said in a soft voice, filled with threat.

"It's clear," Draco muttered.

As they left St. Mungo's, Narcissa had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew that Draco would still go after Potter and no promise she made him take would stop him. She only hoped that he either came away successful or that he didn't get too badly hurt by it.

Whatever happened, it threatened to be a bad few months.

**OoOoOoO**

Lucius entered the throne room quietly, his body stiff with anger. He had heard the news of his son's humiliation from Keith Parkinson, whose wife had been on the platform to drop off Pansy.

He was sure that by now the Dark Lord would have heard of the incident and that was probably why he was summoned.

"Ah, Lucius, do come in," the Dark Lord called out in a deceptively mild voice.

Lucius kneeled before the Dark Lord and kissed the hem of his robes. "You sent for me, Master?"

"Yes, I have heard a disturbing story about a scrap between your son and the Potter boy. I was hoping you would clear it up for me, seeing as I had forbidden anybody to take any action regarding Harry Potter without my permission," Voldemort said, idly twirling his wand.

"My Lord, I am ashamed to say that the fool went against your orders. He will be punished most severely when I get my hands on him," Lucius said humbly.

"I understand that not only did he confront Potter, dragging along the Crabbe and Goyle children, but he also was mouthing off about some sensitive information in the presence of Aurors," Voldemort said, drumming his fingers on the armrest impatiently.

Lucius cringed. "I believe you are right, My Lord," he admitted. "I have tried again and again to teach him to hold his tongue. It seems I have been too lenient with him. It will not be so in the future."

"That's good to know, Lucius," Voldemort said softly. "I do not like followers who do not know how to obey orders or to hold their tongues. It seems to me that they have forgotten how to be Slytherins. I confess myself most disappointed to see such a weak and undisciplined child coming from the Noble House of Malfoy."

"I shall discipline him and turn him into a follower you will be proud of, My Lord. He will either learn or die."

"I am pleased by your answer, Lucius," Voldemort said with a dismissive nod. "You may go."

Lucius Malfoy got to his feet, trembling with relief. He had fully expected to feel his master's wrath today. As he moved to open the door the Dark Lord's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Oh, and Lucius, I heard that your son was making some interesting threats using my name. It's bad enough that he disobeyed me and lost to Potter but to then use my name to threaten vengeance for himself…" he trailed off.

Lucius trembled.

"You will make my displeasure of this felt to him, won't you?" Voldemort said silkily, raising his wand. "_Crucio_."

The castle's walls rang with the screams of the blonde aristocrat.

**OoOoOoO**


	25. The First DA Meeting

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**OoOoOoO**

**The First DA Meeting**

**OoOoOoO**

Harry yawned and stretched, trying to get the kinks out of his muscles. It had been a long night, and most of it had been spent planning for the first DA meeting to be held that night. He glanced at his watch and pressed a button to get the time.

_Four fifty a.m._

Time to get dressed, he thought tiredly.

The room he had been given for his own was more than he could have wished for. It was a large circular room, with a four poster bed, which was situated on the right side when you entered through the door. On the opposite end, was a semi circular desk that was built to fit with the curve of the wall, it was large enough to suit his needs perfectly. A number of shelves had been built in the wall to the left of the desk, more than enough to hold all his books comfortably.

Right beside the desk, towards the right, was a large window that had a magnificent view of the lake and part of the Forbidden forest.

Harry walked into the attached bathroom and quickly splashed some cold water on his face to drive away the cobwebs in his head. He immediately felt more alert. Heading over to his wardrobe, he quickly pulled on a pair of black track pants and a green sweatshirt. Then, slipping on his sneakers, he made his way out of the room.

He walked out of the tiny passage that led to the room and a second later he was out on the corridor leading to Gryffindor Tower, the tapestry depicting a battle between a Goblin Battalion and a dozen Mountain trolls falling back on the entrance he had emerged from, effectively hiding it.

He made it to the Gryffindor common room a couple of minutes past five and found Ginny, Pat and Neville already waiting for him.

"Sorry, I'm late," Harry apologized. "Let's head out, shall we?"

They navigated their way through the deserted corridors, heading towards the Great Hall. Five minutes later, they were out of the castle, and making their way towards the lake.

The morning air was invigorating as they started their lap of the lake, their breath frosting due to the chill in the weather.

Harry ran besides Neville, keeping the pace slow so that he could keep up. Neville's face was red with exertion by the time they reached the halfway mark, but he ran on determinedly.

Harry was very pleased with him. A week or two more and Neville would be able to make the whole run easily.

The run completed, Pat led them in a series of stretching exercises to warm them up for Aikido lessons. When they were done, the four sweating teens headed over to the Room of Requirements and began their lessons.

The first half of them, Pat partnered off with Harry and they practiced some of the more advanced techniques against each other, while Neville and Ginny practiced their basic moves. The next half, Pat paired off with Ginny, and Harry with Neville, teaching them further exercises.

Harry was patient with Neville and he found that the other boy tried very hard to learn as best as he could. Overall Harry was pretty satisfied with him.

The session over, Pat and Ginny left for Gryffindor tower and their much needed showers.

Wait a minute, Nev," Harry said, putting a hand on Neville's shoulder to hold him back when he saw he was making to leave too.

"What's up, Harry?" Neville asked curiously, more than a bit tired. "By the way, do you have any more of those potions? I could sure use one right now."

Harry shook his head. "Even if I had it I wouldn't give it to you. Take it too often and you get addicted to them."

Neville sighed and nodded, indicating he understood.

"Come on," Harry said leading him to the center of the room. He closed his eyes and the room rippled and changed in front of their eyes.

It had changed to a plain room with all four walls a stark white. The wall right in front of them had a round target situated in the center, at about shoulder height.

I want you to cast the stunning spell at the target ten times. Try and hit as close to the bull's-eye as you can.

Neville nodded. He stood up straight and raised his arm to fire the spell.

"Stop," Harry said sharply.

Neville raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Your positioning is all wrong," Harry explained. "Stand with your right side facing your opponent, so that your body makes a smaller target. Bend your knees a little, don't keep them so stiff. Your head should face the target head on, and keep it as still as possible when you cast."

Neville did as Harry had told him and raised his wand, taking careful aim. _"Stupefy."_

The aim was off and it hit several feet to the right of the target.

"Try again," Harry said calmly. "Keep firing till you finish ten casts."

Neville nodded.

"_Stupefy." _It again hit a couple of feet to the right.

"_Stupefy." _ It was a bit nearer this time. Only a few inches to the right of the target.

"_Stupefy." _This time the spell was too low and it hit below the target.

"_Stupefy." _It clipped the target on the top right.

"_Stupefy." _It hit the target on the second last ring on the bottom right.

"_Stupefy." _It missed completely, going several feet left.

"_Stupefy." _Bullseye.

"_Stupefy." _It hit on the third ring from the center, right below the bullseye.

"_Stupefy." _It hit the third ring above the bullseye.

Harry nodded. "An acceptable effort for the first time. A month later I want to see you hit the target dead center seven times out of ten."

Neville nodded. "I'll try my best, Harry."

Harry closed his eyes and concentrated.

When he opened them, the target was moving from the left to right in a ten feet radius in a straight line.

"Ten stunners. No waiting in between. Go," Harry ordered.

Neville began casting the stunners, one after the other. He only managed to hit the target twice, and nowhere near the bullseye.

Harry closed his eyes and concentrated again. The target now began to move down from the right to the center in a diagonal line and back up to the left, forming a V shape.

"Again, ten stunners," Harry said encouragingly.

Neville began to cast them. This time he only managed to hit the target once. He looked very downcast at this.

"Don't worry, mate," Harry said soothingly. "You'll get better with practice."

Neville nodded.

Harry closed his eyes and changed the target again. This time it began to move around in random patterns. Vertically and horizontally, diagonally and in curved patterns.

Neville didn't even wait for Harry and he began casting. He only managed one hit.

Harry again changed the target, so that now it was moving at different speeds as well as in random patterns.

This time Neville again managed a hit, though Harry suspected it was a bit of luck involved in it.

Harry closed his eyes again and the target was back in the center of the wall with large digital numbers flashing above it.

"Okay, now I want you to cast as many stunners as you can in ten seconds at the target. Start when I say."

"Okay, I'm ready," Neville said, taking his position.

"Go," Harry said, and the clock began counting down to ten.

Neville began at Harry's command. He only managed three stunners.

"Okay, that's it," Harry said with a small smile. "I want you to come down here and practice this as often as you can. By the end of the month I want to see some very different numbers."

Neville nodded wearily. By now he felt both physically and magically depleted. By his count he had cast over fifty stunners in a very short space of time. His body wasn't used to casting this much magic in so short a time frame. Something else that would change in a couple of months.

**OoOoOoO**

By the time Harry and Neville got down to breakfast after their showers, Hermione, Pat and Ginny were finishing theirs. Ron, ofcourse, was busy with his second helping.

Harry sat down beside Hermione and piled on a couple of eggs from the nearby platter.

"Anything interesting in the paper?" he asked Hermione.

"Minister Bones brought the Bill to allow the Aurors to use lethal force against the Death Eaters before the Wizengamot yesterday. It was passed with a 32-8 majority," Hermione replied, shooting him a smile.

"I suppose Kingsley and Mad-Eye will be pleased," Harry said as he took a bite of his toast.

Out of a corner of his eyes Harry saw Neville piling eggs, bacon and sausages onto his plate. He dropped his toast and called for Dobby.

The next moment Dobby appeared with a slight pop and looked at Harry attentively, rocking back and forth on his heels in excitement.

"Clear Neville's plate, Dobby," Harry said quietly.

Dobby snapped his fingers and all the food on Neville's plate disappeared including the bit of sausage he was about to bite down on.

"Hey!" Neville cried out in outrage.

Harry ignored him. "From now on you will be in charge of Neville's meals, Dobby. For breakfast he can have two eggs, either poached, scrambled or boiled. With it he can have two pieces of toast, but whole wheat bread only. He can also have a small bowl of fresh fruit and a small glass of juice. But no pumpkin juice. For Lunch, he can have either chicken or fish with some steamed vegetables. Dinner will be soup and a sandwich and some salad. He is to have no sweets, no dessert, no dairy products and no snacks in between. Once a week he may have some red meat but in a reasonable quantity."

Neville's mouth dropped open in shock.

"Dobby understands, Harry Potter, sir," the tiny House Elf said eagerly.

"That's inhuman, Harry. I'll starve to death like that," Neville protested.

Harry looked at him and smiled wryly. "I'll risk it."

Further talk was stopped by Prof. McGonagall walked up towards them and handing out class schedules. She stopped beside Pat and handed her a light green, official looking envelope.

Pat opened it nervously and pulled out the letter. A moment later she was beaming excitedly. "I passed! I got an Outstanding!"

"Congratulations, Patricia," Hermione said, smiling broadly.

"I really have you to thank for a lot of it, Hermione," Pat said warmly. "All your help was much appreciated."

"I'm always happy to help," Hermione replied, sporting a pleased blush.

McGonagall handed Hermione and Ginny their schedules, before handing Harry a letter similar to Pat's.

Harry had a ton of butterflies in his stomach and he looked at Hermione anxiously. She just smiled at him reassuringly.

He opened the envelope slowly, sliding the letter out.

_Mr. Potter,_

_Below are the results of the exams you sat for last week._

_The scores are based on the following basis : -_

_A score of A, E, and O are passing scores and will count as one OWL._

_Scores of D and T will mean that you have failed that particular subject and have not attained an OWL._

_Since you have already completed your OWL exams last year these scores will not add to your final results. But you will be eligible to sit for the classes if you attain a passing grade._

_Sincerely,_

_Griselda Marchbanks,_

_Head of the Wizarding Examination Authority._

**Subject... Theory... Practical**

Ancient Runes... A... A

Arithmancy ...E...O

Harry dropped the letter on the table, a stunned look on his face. He had _passed_ Ancient Runes? How had _that_ ever happened? He was sure he had failed.

Hermione shot an anxious look at him at seeing his face and then quickly grabbed the letter. She scanned through it quickly and then squealed happily.

"You passed!" she said excitedly, nearly bouncing in her seat. "And with excellent grades too! I'm so proud of you."

"Indeed," McGonagall said, giving him the briefest of smiles. "You have done quite well, Mr. Potter."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said with a smile of his own. "And, Hermione, if I passed it was all due to your coaching. I still can't believe I passed Ancient Runes."

McGonagall nodded and handed him, Neville and Ron their schedules. She stopped a second before Ron. "Mr. Weasley, after a lot of deliberation I have decided that you are the right one to lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I expect you to work hard and bring the trophy back to Gryffindor this year," she said, before handing him the golden badge of Quidditch Captain.

Ron looked speechless with shock. He just goggled at Professor McGonagall.

Harry leaned forward and slapped him on his back. "Congratulations mate!"

A slow smile lit up Ron's face till it was so big that it looked like it would go all around his face. He raised the hand with the badge in it into the air and gave a great whoop of joy.

He was soon hugged by a beaming Hermione and then a proud looking Ginny. Fred and George set off a couple of Whiz bangs discreetly and were hollering loudly, causing McGonagall to glare at them. Dean and Seamus gave him slaps on the back and Katie gave him the thumbs up sign from down the table.

"Thanks, mate, I was honestly not expecting this. I mean, if anybody deserves to be captain, it's you," Ron said, turning to grin at Harry.

Harry shrugged. "I'm glad you got it. I wasn't going to be playing Quidditch this year, anyway."

Silence greeted this statement of his.

"Not playing? What do you mean, Harry?" Katie asked quietly.

"You are the seeker," Fred exclaimed.

"We can't play without the seeker," George agreed.

"I'm sure you guys will find a replacement," Harry said apologetically. "I bet Ginny can do the job again in a pinch."

"Not if I'm playing Chaser, Harry, which I plan to do," Ginny replied, shooting the idea down.

Harry shrugged. "I'm sorry. Hold tryouts, you'll find somebody."

"Is this because I was made Captain?" Ron asked suddenly.

Harry turned to Ron in disbelief. "What?"

"Are you not going to play because you didn't make Captain?" Ron went on, missing the exasperated looks Ginny, Hermione and Pat were shooting him.

"Yes, Ron, I am so unbelievably jealous of not making Captain that I refuse to play," Harry replied in a biting tone. "I didn't make Prefect and didn't even make Captain. _My life is over._"

He got up and collected his book bag, angrily slinging it over his shoulder. "Now, excuse me while I go find a quiet corner to cry at fate's cruelty."

Saying that, he walked out of the Great Hall and headed down to the Dungeons.

Potions was the first class. Oh joy!

**OoOoOoO**

Harry entered the Potions classroom five minutes early and took a seat in the front of the class. Slowly, others trickled in.

Padma Patil and Mandy Brocklehurst took a seat nearby and the seat behind him was taken by Susan Bones and Justin Finch Fletchley.

Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein ambled in a few minutes later.

Very few others had managed to get into the class as they hadn't got the required Outstanding grade. The rest of the class was mostly filled with Slytherins – Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis, Pansy Parkinson, and a boy that Harry was sure was called Adrian Rookwood.

Harry felt most of the class staring at him and whispering. Pansy and a few Slytherins, on the other hand, were giving him poisonous looks. Harry just ignored them all.

Hermione came in a minute later and sat down beside him, muttering something about thick redheaded gits.

The bell rang for class to begin and the whispering died down. A second later Snape walked through the doors, heading straight for his desk. Harry got a glimpse of his face to see how his mood was like, as it would set the tone of what he could expect for the rest of the class. He didn't like what he saw. Snape looked vastly irritated.

He was calling roll, when the door of the classroom opened, and none other than Draco Malfoy walked in. His face was still a little bruised but other than that he looked fine.

"Sit down, Mr. Malfoy," Snape snapped, "Class has already begun."

Draco glared at the Potions master for a long moment before he muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Traitor."

Snape looked up sharply and gave Draco a hard glare. Draco glared back defiantly, until he was unable to meet the cold eyes of the Potions Master and sullenly took the seat besides Pansy. He then looked around the class, scowling heavily at all those that dared to look at him. When his eyes met those of Harry's pure hate shone from them. Harry had never seen that much loathing in Malfoy's eyes before today, even though they had always hated each other.

He gave a mental shrug. It was to be expected.

"Today, we will be attempting to brew Veritaserum. This is a very advanced potion so I expect all of you be very careful and diligent. You are in Advanced Potions now, if I see any melted cauldrons or silly first year mistakes, I shall be most displeased," Snape said softly, his voice dripping with disdain.

He waved his wand at the blackboard, which was immediately filled with instructions. "Begin," he said and walked into his Potions storeroom, leaving them alone to start brewing.

They all started work immediately. The potion was long and complicated to make.

Hermione caught Harry's hand gently. "He didn't mean it," she whispered into his ear. "You know how Ron is."

"Oh, he meant it all right," Harry replied softly, as he measured out water to add to his cauldron.

"He just jumps to conclusions too quickly, but you know he cares for you," Hermione persisted.

"I don't need you to explain his actions to me, Hermione, he's nearly an adult and he can do that himself," Harry said coldly. "Besides, right now I really don't care. I have a lot of things to worry about other than Ron's ego hassles."

Hermione kept quiet after that and they both worked on their Potions in silence.

Harry reflected on Ron's behavior as he crushed his Billywig stings using his mortar and pestle. He was incredibly hurt by Ron's words, both in Grimmauld Place and now today. Did he really think so little of him?

He sighed. Perhaps it was for the best. If Ron felt that he was so petty that he would quit the Gryffindor team because his best friend was made Captain then maybe he would stay away from him. It would probably save his life.

Now that Hermione was dating Ron she would probably spend a lot of time with him. It might be possible to keep his distance from her too.

If it kept them both safe it was the only thing to do, right?

_Then why did his heart seem to ache so suddenly?_

Harry shook himself from this line of thoughts and began to pay full attention to his Potion. Snape had taken him in his class very reluctantly and he couldn't afford to screw up and been thrown out.

By the end of the class he felt he had made very good progress on his Potion. He carefully stirred in the Salamander blood and stirred the potion seven times clockwise and the thirteen times counterclockwise and then watched with a satisfied smile as it turned a dark blue colour that was about right for the first stage of the potion. He quickly put a stasis spell on it and ladled it into a jar before sealing it and clearing away his workspace.

Perfectly brewed Veritaserum was a lighter blue at this stage. His wasn't quite that good by far, but it was a decent attempt.

He turned to glance at Hermione's potion and saw that she had gotten it almost perfect. He smiled and shook his head. Trust Hermione to get even a tricky potion like this right on the first go.

Snape came around, checking everybody's Potion. He mostly passed the Slytherins without comment, though he did give Pansy a glare for her abysmal effort.

He didn't say a word when he saw Harry's Potion but when he reached Hermione's Potion he stunned both Harry and Hermione by nodding at her and muttering, "Passable attempt, Granger. Next time I expect you to get it perfect."

Hermione was stunned for a second, before she broke out into a huge grin. It was the first time Snape had ever given her any semblance of praise or approval.

When the dismissal bell rang Snape called out to Harry. "Potter, remain behind."

Harry was expecting this and nodded for Hermione to go on.

Snape waved his wand at the door and it shut and locked with a bang. Another wave and a powerful ward went up to keep out eavesdroppers.

"Explain your behavior of yesterday, Potter," Snape said coldly.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "The Headmaster has already spoken to me about this. Also, the incident happened outside Hogwarts, so I don't understand why I have to explain anything."

Snape glared at him poisonously. "Do not try my patience, Potter. I agreed to help with this club of yours because I understood you wished for Slytherins to join too. And then I hear you went about and beat three of them up like a mindless troll."

"Whatever happened was not an attack on the Slytherins," Harry protested. "He was baiting me and went too far. That's why I fought him."

Snape looked at him in disgust. "You have no control over your mind or your emotions, Potter," he spat out. "This is one of the reasons I know you'll never amount to anything. If a sixth year can make you lose control so completely then you won't last seconds against the Dark Lord."

"Look, I know I messed up," Harry bit out. "It won't happen again."

"You didn't just 'mess up', Potter, you have complicated a lot of things that you do not even understand."

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I made a mistake and I admit that. But I can't very well take it back. I'm telling you that it will never happen again. What more do you want from me?"

"Your apologies make no difference now. That fool, Draco, shot off his mouth yesterday and when Lucius finds out he will not spare him."

"Then he should learn to keep his big mouth shut," Harry replied coldly. "I have no sympathy to spare for him when he got himself into the situation in the first place."

"And what will you do, Potter, when he attacks you one of these days to get his revenge, as he is won't to do now?" Snape said, sounding at the edge of his patience.

"If he is foolish enough to attack me again he will find that I can defend myself remarkably well against the likes of him," Harry said with a shrug. "But you don't need to worry, I'll keep my distance from him, I have no intention of fighting with him anymore."

Snape was silent for a moment before he sighed and nodded.

"What do you have planned for today's meeting, Potter?" he said finally.

Harry quickly outlined what he planned to do. Snape listened in silence and it was obvious that he didn't agree with a lot of what Harry was planning to do. But having no real objection to make he quietly nodded.

Harry turned to go and was at the door when Snape's voice stopped him cold.

"Oh, and Potter, Our private lessons will begin this Thursday after the DA meeting. I trust you have a place in mind to hold them in?"

Harry nodded.

"Good, I believe I shall greatly enjoy them."

Harry had great trouble stopping himself from shivering at the menace in Snape's voice and quickly walked out of the classroom.

**OoOoOoO**

The next class was Transfiguration and Snape holding him back had made him late for it. He knocked on the door and quietly entered.

"Take a seat, Potter," McGonagall said looking up from taking roll.

Harry glanced around and quickly took the empty seat besides Neville.

"Today we will begin to start learning Conjuration, a very difficult branch of Transfiguration," McGonagall said, glancing around the classroom. "Conjuration is creating objects without using a medium to transfigure them from. You bend your raw magic to your will to create the object. It is one of the trickiest magic's you will learn in this class so I expect you all to pay close attention."

Hermione was sitting in the desk in front of Harry along with Ron and she was nearly on the edge of her seat with excitement, eager to begin.

"We will start with conjuring small coat buttons. I doubt many of you will be able to manage more than that in today's class."

McGonagall showed them the wand movements and explained the process of intention and visualization before releasing the magic. They all took copious notes off all she said, as many had heard how difficult Conjuration was.

Harry had learnt Conjuration over the summer and so this particular lesson was not very challenging for him. He saw that Hermione got it right on the first few tries, as expected. She then moved to help Ron, who was finding it much more difficult.

Harry saw that Neville was having a very hard time of it. He was trying again and again, his face screwed up in concentration, but he wasn't able to conjure anything.

Harry placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Close your eyes," he said softly.

Neville looked at him in confusion.

"Just do as I say," Harry insisted.

Neville reluctantly closed his eyes.

"Listen to my voice and block everything else out. Tell me when you are ready."

Neville nodded after a minute.

"Think of the button you want to conjure, how it looks like, every tiny detail you can think of. Tell me when you have it fully visualized."

Neville nodded after a minute. "I think I can see it how I want it."

"Good," Harry replied, "Now, try and feel your magic. Concentrate on the feeling of your wand in your hand. You'll feel a slight tingling feeling. Concentrate on that."

Neville was silent for a few minutes and then he smiled. "I feel it!"

"Very good," Harry said approvingly. He took Neville's wand hand in his own and moved it in the pattern McGonagall had shown them. "You should be able to push your raw magic through your wand if you concentrate on what you feel on your fingertips. Now, keep the image of the button in your head and at the same time try and bring forth your magic. When you can do both, do the wand movement and release the magic."

Neville nodded and furrowed his brow, concentrating hard. A minute later he twirled his wand in the proper movement and released his magic.

A small button popped out and fell with a clatter onto his desk.

"Well done," Harry said patting Neville on the back.

"Five points for that excellent piece of conjuration, Mr. Longbottom," McGonagall said from behind them, a small smile on her face.

"And take ten points for helping him, Mr. Potter."

Harry smiled. "Thank you, Professor."

Neville's face lit up with happiness. He hardly ever got any points for Gryffindor and he was as pleased as punch that he got the spell right.

"Thanks, Harry, I would have never got it if it wasn't for you," he said earnestly.

"Don't mention it. You don't give yourself nearly enough credit, Nev. You can do anything you set your mind to," Harry replied, shrugging the thanks off casually.

The rest of the lesson passed by fairly quickly after that and when the dismissal bell rang he was again held back, but this time by McGonagall.

"Potter, we have covered Conjuration quite well in our summer lessons. All you need now is practice, lots of it. I think it's time we moved on to the Animagus transformation," McGonagall said as she rummaged around in her desk drawers, looking for something.

She removed a thick, aging old tome from within and handed it to Harry. "Read the first ten chapters before Friday, we will hold our lessons after dinner then, 8 pm sharp."

Harry nodded. "I'll do that, Professor. I also wanted to tell you that I appreciate you taking out time to help me."

"I have a strange feeling that if I hadn't helped you, you'd have tried it on your own, Potter. At least this way I can keep an eye on things," McGonagall retorted.

Harry grinned and after putting the book in his bag he headed to lunch.

**OoOoOoO**

Dinner was long past over and students began trickling into the Great Hall for the first DA meeting. The Hall had been cleared by the House Elves and all the tables were stacked neatly in one corner.

The room soon filled up and it was soon evident that nearly the whole school was present.

The doors opened and Harry entered the room nervously, followed by Snape. He found himself even more nervous when he saw the amount of people gathered inside.

He walked towards the front of the room, where a small podium was erected and turned to face the crowd.

After casting the Sonorous spell on his throat he hesitantly began. "Hi, welcome to the first meeting of the Defense Association," he said slowly, looking around at all the faces.

"I'd like to thank Professor Snape for agreeing to help out with this club. His knowledge of the Death Eaters and Voldemort is second to none."

There were loud gasps at his use of the Dark Lord's name and even several screams.

Harry sighed. He hoped that this meeting would make things better but he somehow doubted it. The fear was too ingrained.

"We know why he is here, Potty, but what do you think you could teach us?" Draco sneered from the front of the crowd.

"I doubt he would be able to beat me, let alone Death Eaters," Blaise Zabini said with a derisive laugh.

"Yeah, how about it, Potty? A duel, you and me, no restrictions," Draco said spitefully.

Harry looked at him coldly. "There will be no dueling here today. And if you have any doubts in my ability to teach you, then you may leave."

Draco smirked. "Chicken?"

"Yeah, my knees are knocking," Harry said sarcastically. "Now either shut up or get out. The next time you open your mouth I'll take points."

The door opened at that moment and Dumbledore and some of the staff entered the room.

"Would you mind if me and some of the other teachers sat in on the meeting, Harry?" Dumbledore asked politely.

"Sure thing, Professor," Harry said with a shrug.

Dumbledore conjured a few seats in the corner and he and the teachers sat down and turned to look at Harry attentively.

With Dumbledore around Draco and the others settled down immediately.

Harry cleared his throat. "At first I thought we could start this meeting with the basics of dueling. But I think we have something even more important to cover tonight."

Harry looked around the room and saw that he had everyone's attention.

"The reason this club exists is to teach us how to fight, and one of the things I have learnt is that before you learn how to fight it's important to know why we are fighting. We have always had our differences and our rivalries, but in this war it will no longer be about petty duels with schoolyard hexes. The choices are two, pick a side or stay out of it, but to make this choice it is necessary to know more about why this war is being fought. Does anybody here know the reason why this war is being fought?"

Pansy Parkinson, who was standing next to Draco, sneered disdainfully. "What sort of stupid question is that, Potter? Everybody knows that the reason this war is being fought is to restore purebloods to their proper place in society and return the magical society to a golden age."

Harry looked at her an eyebrow raised. "Wrong. And five points from Slytherin. Next time you talk to me in that tone you'll be thrown out of the club."

Pansy went red with anger.

"Anybody else?"

"It's because of the Slytherins, isn't it? Most of them are the ones going about killing people and go on endlessly about all of this pureblood nonsense. Hell, even You-know-who is a Slytherin," Seamus said heatedly.

"Wrong," Harry said, shaking his head. "This has nothing to do with Slytherins. The one responsible for resurrecting Voldemort was a Gryffindor."

"Why don't you tell us what you think the reason is, Potter," Daphne Greengrass said curiously.

"Power," Harry said simply. "Any of you thinking otherwise need to take a closer look at things."

"I don't understand," Daphne said slowly.

"The attacks on Muggles, Voldemort's views on Pureblood supremacy, his views on how wizarding society should be are all illusions meant to mask the real reason. You see, Voldemort never intends to attack the Muggles on a large scale, he knows he could never win," Harry replied.

"What hogwash!" Draco yelled angrily. "He's the most powerful wizard in the world."

"He could be as powerful as Merlin and it wouldn't matter," Harry said calmly. "You see, the problem is that most of you know next to nothing about Muggles. Do you know how vast their population is? In the billions. We, on the other hand, number around two hundred thousand in Britain, at most, probably no more than a few million in the world. We depend on the Muggles for the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the small day to day necessities we use. Everything from the toothbrush to tea leaves are manufactured by them. We cannot possibly survive without them. The Muggles have also outstripped us in many regards. They have weapons that are so fearsome that nothing we could throw at them would match."

"What sort of weapons?" Theodore Nott asked doubtfully. "Some of the Dark Arts is enormously powerful."

"They have an explosive device that is called a Nuclear Bomb. It is capable of leveling entire cities. When it explodes nothing can survive, even bacteria does not survive the explosion. After the bomb explodes, the area which it was dropped on, as well as nearby surrounding areas, become uninhabitable for over a decade. You can't live there lest you be poisoned by the radiation. No crops can be grown there, no water can be drunk from there. It becomes a wasteland."

"Level entire cities? You're kidding, right?" Theodore scoffed.

"Not at all. If you don't believe me do your own research in the Library or talk to our Muggle Studies Professor. In fact I think it would be wise of you to do your own research about everything we talk about," Harry replied. "The Americans dropped one on Hiroshima in Japan during the ending stages of the Second World War. The results were horrifying in the extreme."

He paused for a second before he continued. "Ofcourse, this is a weapon that has almost never been used except for the once since it was developed. It's more for threat value than for actual use, atleast in theory. But they also have other weapons that they _do_ use. Muggle Law Enforcement and the Armed Forces use a weapon called a fire arm. These weapons fire a small metallic projectile at incredible speeds. If this hits you there is a good chance it will kill you. Of course, you can defend against this with magic. But they have guns that are capable of shooting dozens, if not hundreds of these projectiles at you in under a minute. There isn't a shield in existence that would stand up to that kind of a barrage. You should also do some reading on some of their more deadly weapons like missiles, grenades, tanks, jet fighters, etc. Once you have done your research on all of this you should realize that the Muggle Prime Minister is kept updated of the magical world and is well aware that we exist. At the moment the Death Eater attacks are written off in a number of ways after the Obliviation squads are done but they will find out about us if there are any really big attacks upon them. There is only so much you can hide. Consider what would happen if they ever found out that there is a secret society of witches and wizards who have been killing people indiscriminately. They would go to war against us. But we have magic, which is undoubtedly an advantage over them. But how much of an advantage is it when you face a thousand to one odds? Voldemort knows all of this, considering he was raised amongst the Muggles himself."

"The Dark Lord raised amongst Muggles? He is the noble heir of Salazar Slytherin himself! What lies will you say next, Potter?" Adrian Rookwood sneered. "All of this is sheer nonsense. Is this what you plan to do in this Defense club? Try to brainwash us all?"

Harry smirked. "When Voldemort says he is the heir of Slytherin he forgets to mention that he had a Muggle for a father. A father who abandoned him and his mother and left him to be raised in a Muggle Orphanage."

"The Dark Lord a half-blood? You really expect anybody to believe this nonsense, Potter?" Blaise Zabini asked incredulously.

Harry simply shook his head in exasperation. "You lot are supposed to be Slytherins, the ambitious, cunning and resourceful. Have you never wondered what Voldemort's real name was? Where he studied? Surely you don't think he was named Lord Voldemort at birth."

None of them had an answer to this.

Harry snapped his fingers "Dobby."

There was a loud pop and Dobby appeared before him. "Does Harry Potter, sir, be needing anything?" he asked hopefully.

"Would you bring me my Pensieve, Dobby?"

"Dobby will bring it right away," the tiny elf said, before vanishing with a pop.

Harry glanced up to see Draco Malfoy turn purple with rage at seeing the former House-Elf of the Malfoy's and realizing that he worked for his hated enemy now.

Dobby was back a second later with the Pensieve and he left after Harry thanked him.

Harry conjured a small table and placed the Pensieve on it. "This is a Pensieve. It is a device you can view memories in. The memories within can be tampered with, but you'd need to be as proficient in the Mind Arts as Professor Dumbledore or Professor Snape… or Voldemort, ofcourse."

He quickly removed two silvery strands from his temple and placed them within the Pensieve. Then he tapped his wand on a certain rune twice and stepped back.

A large cloud of mist rose out of the Pensieve and started to form a scene from Harry's second year.

**"Well," said Riddle, smiling pleasantly, "how is it that a baby with no extraordinary magical talent managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did _you _escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"**

**There was an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now.**

**"Why do you care how I escaped?" said Harry slowly. "Voldemort was after your time."**

**"Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present and future, Harry Potter…"**

**He pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:**

**TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE**

**Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:**

**I AM LORD VOLDEMORT**

**"You see?" he whispered. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name for ever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No, Harry. I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"**

The memory stopped and most of the Slytherins were looking stunned. Before they could say anything another memory started to play, this time the scene from Harry's fourth year, the Dark Lord's resurrection.

The memory started with the resurrection ritual and was interrupted by more than a few screams of fear. Harry privately thought that showing the memory might not have been one of his brighter ideas after all. Then it got to the part Harry had wanted them to see.

**"You stand, Harry Potter, upon the remains of my late father," he hissed softly. "A Muggle and a fool…very like your dear mother. But they both had their uses, did they not? Your mother died to defend you as a child…and I killed my father, and see how useful he has proved himself, in death.…"**

**Voldemort laughed again. Up and down he paced, looking all around him as he walked, and the snake continued to circle in the grass.**

**"You see that house upon the hillside, Potter? My father lived there. My mother, a witch who lived here in this village, fell in love with him. But he abandoned her when she told him what she was.…He didn't like magic, my father…**

**"He left her and returned to his Muggle parents before I was even born. Potter, and she died giving birth to me, leaving me to be raised in a Muggle orphanage…but I vowed to find him…I revenged myself upon him, that fool who gave me his name…Tom Riddle.…"**

When the memory stopped playing there was complete silence in the vast Great Hall. Not a single one of them knew what to say.

"As you have seen, Voldemort isn't a Pureblood. The only reason he attacks Muggles is because he was mistreated by them as a child. Let me also point out that he was Slytherin's heir by his mother's side. When he was resurrected he used my blood. If a half-blood's blood is 'filthy' then his blood is further contaminated by mine."

Harry stopped for a second and took a deep breath. "I think you also saw what would be your position if you ever chose to serve him. Ask yourself if a person that requires you to kiss his feet would ever share power with you. I do not believe in Pureblood supremacy and I do not believe that any of us were born to serve another. You may feel free to believe in the Pureblood supremacy that I hear being bandied about, but try and find proof for it. Let's not be hypocrites, shall we?"

With these last few words the first meeting of the DA ended in pandemonium.

**OoOoOoO**

Quoted directly from JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Quoted directly from JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.


End file.
